Camarillo Advances Two

Colin Wilcox and Kyle Dowden of Camarillo High took advantage of local knowledge, finishing first and second in the one-round Southern Section Northern Individual Regional golf tournament at Sterling Hills Golf Club in Camarillo.

Wilcox, a sophomore, shot two-under-par 69 to lead the field of 84 players trying to qualify for the Southern Section finals May 20 at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs. Wilcox, who had five birdies in his round, was the only player to break par.

Dowden, a junior, tied with Brandon Christianson of Valencia and Mike Paglialonga of Atascadero, two strokes behind Wilcox. The top 24 players advanced to the section finals. The cut came at 76. Camarillo does not use Sterling Hills as its home course, but Wilcox and Dowden both credited familiarity from living nearby as an advantage.

“I knew that if the pins were in certain places on certain holes that you shouldn’t go after them,” said Wilcox, who had bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15, then followed with birdies at Nos. 16, 18 and No. 1 in the shotgun format. “And that’s what I did. I just happened to make some putts.”

Patience was imperative on a course that was set up with high rough and fast greens for the Camarillo City Championships a week ago.

“I knew it would be set up tough, and that helped me pick and choose my spots,” Dowden said. “I just tried to get pars because if you were too aggressive, one hole could jump up and bite you.”

Central Regional--Henry Liaw of Hacienda Heights Los Altos, the reigning U.S. Junior champion, shot five-under-par 67 at the Desert Willow Golf Resort Firecliff Course and won by four shots over Brian Mahoney of Palm Desert and Trevor Schultz of San Dimas.

Southern Regional--The Southern tournament was postponed because of a fire that burned nearly 600 acres near tournament site Tijeras Creek Golf Course in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Tournament manager Bob Bosanko said players were not in danger, but helicopters needed to use the golf course ponds for water to fight the fire. Players had completed about five holes when the Orange County Sheriff’s office evacuated the course. All scores will be wiped out when the tournament is replayed, Bosanko said.

Bosanko hopes to have a makeup date and location secured by the end of today. It must be played by Sunday because it is a qualifying tournament for the section finals on Monday.