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Sports

Prep Golfers Take Next Step Toward State Finals

Los Alamitos junior John Lee finishes third and San Juan Hills senior Eric Taylor is sixth at CIF Southern Section Individual final, advancing to next week's SCGA tournament, the qualifier for the state final.

When it comes to big-time golf tournaments, don't ever count out the Lee family.

Los Alamitos junior John Lee, brother of Esther Lee, who came within a stroke of the girls golf state championship last fall, took one step closer to an appearance at the boys state tournament on Monday at the CIF Southern Section Individual Championships with a brilliant even-par 71 performance on one of the tougher golf courses in Southern California -- Industry Hills -- an LPGA mainstay that features rugged, hilly terrain and narrow fairways.

Lee, who was familiar with Industry Hills' Babe Zaharias course after playing numerous rounds on it a year ago, turned in only two bogeys all day, and managed to equalize them with birds on Holes 15 and 18.

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"It was a pretty good round. I hit some pretty good shots. I just couldn't get them to drop at all," Lee said. "I played a lot here my junior year, so it came natural."

After finishing tied for third-place overall with Villa Park's Ryan Tetrault, the two hiked to Hole 10 to begin what would become a three-hole playoff. Tetrault claimed the third-place CIF plaque with a par on Hole 12, one stroke better than Lee, who hit a fairway bunker out of the box, and played the sand trap a bit too aggressively, sending a low line drive to the fringe at the back of the green.

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"It's pretty tight, it's narrow. If you don't hit the fairways, you're going to be in trouble," Lee said of Industry Hills. "I probably should have taken a 58-degree [sand wedge] instead of a 54 [in the bunker on the final hole]."

Regardless of the playoff outcome, Lee officially finished in third place, and will now prepare for the CIF/SCGA Southern California Championships next Tuesday at Brookside Country Club in Pasadena, otherwise known as the Rose Bowl parking lot to college football fans.

Although Lee has never played Brookside, San Juan Hills senior Eric Taylor has experienced the Pasadena course, and that should help the future Sacramento State Hornet when he joins Lee next Tuesday in attempting to turn in a top six individual score and gain a qualification for the CIF state championships at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach on June 8.

Taylor shot a four-over-par 75 on Monday, leaving him tied with six other players at the end of 18 holes. With all automatic qualifications going to rounds of 74 and better, that left six spots at the Southern California Championships left, and seven golfers vying to fill them.

Before Lee and Tetrault teed off, Villa Park's Kethan Reddy and Valencia's Glen Lee kicked off their own playoff to determine the tournament champion, with Reddy claiming the crown after two playoff holes.

Two groups of playoff golfers then teed off after the third-place playoff went out, with Taylor taking the second drive from the box among the final foursome.

"The first three went out and they all [shot even-par]," San Juan Hills coach Jim Tinker said. "The first guy [in Taylor's group] hit it straight down the middle, and Eric went next and he pulled it left under some trees. From underneath the trees, Eric hit a punch shot about 15 feet from the hole, hit the putt, and he was the only kid that birdied."

Tinker said Taylor didn't play his best round on Monday, but that he will be very prepared for Brookside.

"He's played it once at an event," Tinker said. "He hasn't played it recently, but he's going to try and get a practice round in this week."

Taylor's twin brother, Owen, missed the cut by only one stroke on Monday, ending his brilliant high school golf career at San Juan Hills, one that saw the Stallions win their first Southern Section regional championship. Owen has also received a full-ride scholarship to Sac State and will be a familiar face on the AJGA circuit this summer.

"Owen played really well," Tinker said. "He made one slight error out on the course; otherwise, he would've put himself right in there with everybody else. I'm very pleased with both of their play."

San Clemente senior Kevin Allen just missed the cut as well, turning in a 77 and ending his high school golf career one tournament shy of where he left off a year ago.

Although Allen was disappointed with his round on Monday, he, like just about every other golfer, was quick to laud Industry Hills for a challenging round. Like the Taylor brothers, Allen will kick off his college career next fall in Northern California, where he will attend UC Davis and compete for a spot on the Aggies' golf squad.

"My putting was great, it couldn't have been better," Allen said of his round. "I just couldn't get it onto the green. I was missing fairways all over the place. Overall, I just couldn't put together the round that I needed to."

Allen said he had played a practice round last Friday at Industry Hills, but that was the first time he'd ever set foot on the course. On Monday he described the course as tough, one in which hitting the ball straight off the tee was  of utmost importance.

"I missed the cut by two, so it's tough. This is the last year, this is it," Allen said. "The season as a whole, we didn't do that great as a team, but individually I felt I did all right. Last year was a lot better, obviously, because I went to SCGA, so it's a disappointment."

With only two of 11 area golfers qualifying for the SCGA tournament, Allen wasn't the only disappointed golfer after 18 holes.

Mission Viejo sophomore Mike Lorrimer, who turned in a 46-stroke front nine, before picking up the pace with a 37 on the back, described the round as frustrating and among the worst he'd ever played.

Teammate Raymund Gonzales was equally frustrated after turning in an 81, the same mark as Corona del Mar's Tanner Trauthen, Tesoro's Joe Kron, and Los Alamitos freshman Jonathan Young.

Kelby Scharmann of Tesoro capped his high school career with a 79, while Fountain Valley sophomore Andre Vu was one stroke better at 78.

Servite's Preston Valder, who many picked as a tournament favorite heading in, withdrew because of illness.

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