Cougars, Tigers tame Bayonet on Day 1 of 3C2A Men's Golf State Championship
Individual and Team Standings l Team and Player l Photos
SEASIDE – It was a day of survival for the golfers on Day 1 of the 3C2A Men’s Golf State Championships, which took place on Sunday at the Bayonet Golf Course.
With early docile conditions giving way to chilly, windy elements by late morning, the course forced the golfers to bring their “A” game and for defending state champion College of the Canyons, the Cougars delivered on that request and shot a team score of 376, good enough for an 8-shot lead on second-place Reedley (384) and 15 shots clear of San Joaquin Delta (391) and Ventura (391), with Orange Coast (395), College of the Desert (397), Santa Barbara (398), Sierra (403) and Modesto (406) rounding out the team scores.
Of the 68 golfers in the field, only two – COC’s Ethan Posthumus and Reedley’s Tommy Evans – managed to break par on the 6,940-yard, par-72 course. Both Posthumus and Evans shot 2-under-par 70s on Sunday, with Posthumus carding six birdies and Evans earning four. The duo went out early and scored low and continued that strong play once the winds and fog joined in on the fun for all of the golfers.
Just missing par with solid scores included COC’s Carson Diaz and Napa College’s Lawrence Pepito, who each shot 1-over-par, 73s, while Fresno’s Ryan Grossman and Orange Coast College’s Troy Tarvis each carded 3-over-par, 75s - impressive scores on this course and in less-than-comfy weather conditions.
The depth of the Cougars stood out on Sunday as they had five golfers score in the 70s, including Ed Beehag (77), Anthony Nilson (77) and Owen Crockett (79).
For the runner-up Tigers, they were well bunched with good scores as well, including a 76 from Julian Rombouts, a 78 from Coaton Campbell and a pair of 80s from Johan Bjorken and Brady Foster.
OCC’s Victor Chaparro earned an eagle on the 10th hole, reaching the par-5 in two, then, draining a 30-foot, downhill putt for his 3. On a day where birdies were hard to come by, an eagle was even more rare.
The weather forecast for Monday looks for more of the same, with even a chance of morning rain to get thrown into the mix, so once again, a state championship will be hard earned on the tough but beautiful Bayonet Golf Course. Round 2 begins at 8:30 a.m.