Glendale Community College men’s golf preview: Vaqueros turn to experience to help move up in conference

For most of last season, the Glendale Community College men’s golf team struggled. It turned things around nicely during the final couple of weeks en route to qualifying for the Southern California Regionals for the first time since 2011.

Glendale second-year Coach Todd Tyni would like to avoid another slow beginning. With the personnel Tyni has secured, the Vaqueros might be in position to challenge for the Western State Conference championship and a return to the postseason.

“I was a little surprised that we started last season off pretty slow,” said Tyni, whose team finished fourth in conference and 10th in the regionals last season. “Toward the end of conference, we began to peak and you could see the progress being made.

“You learn from your experiences in a game like golf. They saw what they could do. I think we have some good depth and we’d like nothing more than to battle for conference and go back to the postseason again.”

Glendale will begin its trek toward reaching its goals by competing in a season-opening Western State Conference match at 10 a.m. Monday at Valencia Golf Course in the Santa Clarita Valley. The Vaqueros will do so with an eight-member squad that will feature five sophomores and three freshmen.

“We have a lot of returners back, plus we have a group of three freshmen who we believe can be an incredible asset,” Tyni said. “You know there’s going to be a learning process that will take place for the freshmen, but we have a group of sophomores who can pass on the information and experience they picked up last year to make the transition a bit easier.”

The returners will be Evin Davis, Joel Yoo, Justin Sandon, Pablo Gabella and Tavit Garabedian. The freshmen are Andrew Gowanlock, Nick Diaz and Stephen Peterson.

Davis enjoyed a banner season in 2014. The Pasadena High product finished tied for seventh in the Southern California Regionals at StoneRidge Country Club in Poway. He then marched to the California Community College Athletic Assn. State Championship at the Victoria Club in Riverside, where he finished sixth and secured all-state accolades.

“Evin had such a great year and was very consistent,” Tyni said. “Getting all the way to state was a big boost for his confidence.

“This year, Evin and Tavit will be our Nos. 1 and 2 players, though we’re not sure which order. After that, it’s just about seeing where the other players are with their games. We feel like we can put a very good lineup out there.”

Glendale will host a conference match April 13 at Oakmont Country Club. The Vaqueros finished second on their home site last season.

The conference championship will take place April 27 at Antelope Valley Country Club in Palmdale. The Southern California Regionals will be held May 4, followed by the state tournament May 11 in Northern California.