Golf: Carpenter nails it

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - The cliche “coming into his own” originated from the

sporting world, which was trying to describe people like Mike Carpenter.

Carpenter didn’t get serious about golf until two years ago, but seems

prepared now, at age 28, to rock portions of its world.

As if making his grand entrance into the game, Carpenter won the 29th

annual Costa Mesa City Championships, holding off UC Irvine product Jeff

Coburn of Soule Park (Ojai) to win by two strokes, shooting a final-round

1-under-par 71 Sunday on the Los Lagos course at Costa Mesa Golf &

Country Club.

Carpenter, tied most of the round with Coburn and Fountain Valley’s

Ken Wertzberger, finished at 66-71--137. Runner-up Coburn shot

66-73--139, while Costa Mesa’s Ed Susolik captured third place with the

lowest score of the day on Los Lagos at 2-under 70, a nice recovery from

his first-round 6-over 76 on Mesa Linda.

Mark Harding of Costa Mesa was fourth at 141, while four tied for

fifth at 142 and two tied for ninth at 143.

Wertzberger, a first-round leader with Coburn and Carpenter, was tied

for the lead at 3-under in the championship with Coburn and Carpenter

after 13 holes Sunday.

But, after Carpenter birdied the par-5 No. 14 to move into sole

possession of first, the wheels began to come off for Wertzberger, who

bogeyed 15 and 16 and double bogeyed 17 to fall out of contention. He

finished tied for 11th at 144 with six others.

Carpenter, a Big Canyon Country Club member and Laguna Beach resident,

took his first solo lead of the championship on the par-4 No. 12, when

Wertzberger bogeyed to fall to 3-under with Coburn.

“It was fun to play with a gallery,” said Carpenter, who, unlike most

of his peers, played the two courses at Costa Mesa for the first time.

“I’m buddies with Danny Lane, who owns (Mesa Verde Partners, which

operates the golf courses),” Carpenter added. “He’s the one who got me

into coming out and playing in the tournament, even though I’d never

played here before.”

A Santa Margarita High graduate who grew up in the Newport-Mesa

community, Carpenter played college basketball at Southern Methodist

University, then two years ago joined Big Canyon and decided to focus on

golf.

Now a scratch player, Carpenter won the Big Canyon match-play club

championship in April and has his sights set on the upcoming stroke-play

club championship.

In winning the Costa Mesa City Championship -- known for years as the

Will Jordan Classic, named after the city’s former mayor -- Carpenter

joined some elite company. Among the tournament’s past champions are Mark

O’Meara and Scott Simpson, both of whom won major championships in their

careers. Simpson won the second Costa Mesa City Championship in 1974.

O’Meara won in 1979.

But it wasn’t easy for Carpenter, who bogeyed 13 to fall into a

three-way tie for the lead.

On the par-5 No. 15 (542 yards), Carpenter chipped from the left rough

to within inches of the flag, leaving him a birdie tap-in putt and a

one-stroke lead over Coburn and Wertzberger, who has played in the final

group three times in the last five years in the Costa Mesa City

Championships and come up short each time.

On 15, Carpenter bogeyed to create a two-way tie for the top spot with

Coburn. Wertzberger missed a six-foot putt for par and a chance to share

the lead.

The decisive hole came on the par-4 No. 16 (404 yards), which

Carpenter birdied, while Coburn bogeyed for a two-shot swing, an

advantage Carpenter would never relinquish.

Carpenter, consistently the longest off the tee in the foursome,

reached the green at 16 in two, then drained a 16-foot birdie putt, which

rolled to the back of the cup.

Just before Carpenter’s putt, Coburn had a similar read, but burned

the edge of the hole and the ball’s momentum carried it well beyond the

cup, setting up Coburn’s three-putt bogey.

“I didn’t put as much pace on my putt,” Carpenter said. “I was only

about one foot farther. (Coburn) had the same putt, but he went by (the

hole) and ended up missing that comebacker. I was worried about the pace.

The golf course is in great shape, especially the greens, so it’s tough

to be aggressive with your putts.”

Carpenter seemed to get more aggressive once he picked up a two-stroke

lead.

On the par-3 No. 17, with Coburn staring at a possible birdie putt,

Carpenter found himself in a tough position -- at the back of an

undulating green. Carpenter left his lag putt short, but then sank a

downhill 10-footer to save par and maintain his two-shot lead (Coburn

missed his birdie attempt and settled for par).

On the par-5 18, Carpenter’s second shot landed under a cart on the

path, but was allowed to drop. From the left rough, Carpenter chipped to

within eight feet, then won dramatically with a birdie putt.

“I knew I had a two-shot lead,” Carpenter said. “I just didn’t want to

do anything stupid. I just needed to two-putt for the win.”

Coburn also made birdie at 18, while Andrew Thomson of Mesa Verde

Country Club capped his round with a birdie at 18.