Vaqueros swing for state
Thanks to a benchmark season in which it placed second in arguably the most difficult conference in the state before qualifying for the state tournament for the first time in the program’s history, expectations are now at their highest for the Glendale Community College men’s golf team.
That’s precisely the way Glendale college Coach Greg Osbourne wants it to be.
The Vaqueros struggled at times throughout the first half of last season before encountering a streak of good fortune which ultimately led to them faring quite well in the ultra-competitive Western State Conference, taking second in the Southern California Regionals and finishing seventh in state.
“With what we were able to get accomplished last year, everybody now knows about our program,” said Osbourne, whose team will start its fifth season Monday in the two-day Tee Off Classic at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino that will conclude Wednesday. “With the type of talent we have on board this year, we are going to go for state and try to win it all.
“We want to win conference, win regionals and then win state. It’s going to be tough, but we think we have the team that’s capable of getting that all done.”
The Vaqueros figure to have plenty of depth, led by sophomore and Crescenta Valley High graduate Michael Timpson, who won the conference’s individual championship last season. Glendale is expected to carry a 13-member squad, which will feature returners Vincent Lam and Nick Quintanilla, who redshirted last season after advancing to the regionals in 2010.
The trio will be joined by a crop of freshmen, some having local ties. St. Francis High graduate Richie Maloof, an All-Area honoree last season, Hoover’s Alan Cho, McCauley Taylor of Burbank, Burroughs’ Brandon Shin and Ryan Chotivichitr, who attended Glendale High, lead the list. The Vaqueros will also have freshmen Clayton Ojeda, Mathias Dahl, Anthony Capozzi, Nigel Tucker and Johan Magnusson.
“We are going to have the depth and talent,” said Osbourne, a former Glendale college golfer and football player who guided the college’s women’s golf team to a second-place finish in the state tournament last fall. “They just have to be able to put it all together when it counts.
“At the junior college level, we feel like we will have a top six that’s comparable to other teams.”
Osbourne, the head pro at Chevy Chase Country Club in Glendale, said filling out a lineup card will be a “good problem” to have.
“Everybody will be battling for those top six spots,” Osbourne said. “It’s going to be nip and tuck.
“It’s going to be a day-by-day thing to figure out what to do and that’s a good problem to have. We have so many experienced players.”
Timpson, a former All-Area pick, said the Vaqueros are in position to succeed again.
“We feel comfortable with the team that we will have,” Timpson said. “We definitely believe that we can win state.
“We have to focus on ourselves and we have a lot of good talent.”
Glendale will compete in its first conference match Feb. 6 at Knollwood Country Club in Granada Hills. The Vaqueros will host a conference match April 16 at Oakmont Country Club. The conference championship will take place April 23-24 Olivas Links Golf Course in Ventura.
The regionals will be held May 7-8 at Glendora Country Club and the state tournament will occur May 14-15 at Santa Maria Country Club.
