Robert Gautney: A look at the top local golf team performances of 2009
| Thursday, Dec 24 2009 07:42 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Dec 24 2009 07:43 PM
Merry Christmas, everyone! Hopefully the chubby guy in the red suit brought you everything you wanted, or at least some of the things you were hoping for. As I stated last week, this week's column will be to look back on some of the outstanding team performances for 2009.
Since the teams can't be part of the competition for the Pro Shop Golf "Performance of the Year" award, it's only fair that those teams receive their due for what they accomplished. So without taking up any more of your holiday time, here are the team performances (in no particular order) that stood out for 2009:
* Ron Kilmer and Tim Reed qualified for the Mercedes National Championship back in June of 2008, but they competed in the tournament finals in January of this year. Although they didn't quite make it to the final round, they did represent our area well and Kilmer finished third overall low gross, just missing a shot at playing in Germany for the international finals.
* D.J. Fernando and Jeff Miller qualified for the SCGA 4-Ball Championship when they shot a 5-under 67 at Rustic Canyon to finish 7th from a field of over 50 teams. The duo then finished 46th in the championship proper at Industry Hills.
* The Bakersfield Christian boys golf team won the CIF Division II Central Section title with a score of 430 on the Belmont CC layout in Fresno. The team beat Fresno Christian by four shots to advance to the CIF Southern Cal Regionals at the SCGA Club in Murietta where it finished sixth.
* Brian Bell and Joe Cox advanced to the finals of the SCGA 4-Ball Net Championship when they shot an 8-under 64 at Simi Hills GC to finish 10th in the qualifying. At the finals, they couldn't continue their magic and finished 72-72 for 31st place at the picturesque Pala Mesa Resort.
* The Frontier girls golf team won a section title, shooting a 419 to win the Division II crown. They team shot the same 419 score in the So Cal Regionals and that earned it fifth place. With five of the top six girls coming back, expect big things from this team in 2010!
* Jim Seymour and Kent Richardson proved that age is only a number, as the senior duo beat every team in the annual Kern County 4-Ball Championship at Haggerty-North Kern. The "old guys" shot 64-66 for a 130 total, one shot ahead of two teams with another two teams just two shots back.
* The BC women's golf team won its first Western State Conference title, finished second in the So Cal Regionals to advance to the state championship and then held the lead in the state finals after the first day. Although the Renegades couldn't hold their opening-round lead, they finished second in the state for their best ever finish.
* The Kern County Junior Golf Association ended 12 years of frustration as it won the 13th Loren Roberts Cup at The Alisal in Solvang. The tournament came down to a playoff between Kern County and the Coastal Valley team and John Morin made sure the KC crew were not going to be denied as he ripped a 3-iron to 24 feet on the 220-yard 18th in the playoff and then two-putted for a par to give the local kids the win.
* The Links at RiverLakes Ranch Saturday Team Play contingent became the first local team to win the SCGA Team-Play competition in the 109-year history of the event. After winning their group, the RiverLakes team advanced through four rounds of match-play before beating Fullerton CC 26-22 in the finals at the SCGA Golf Course. RiverLakes gave up 43 total handicap strokes to the Fullerton team, but still managed to prevail.
Well, there you have it. The top team performances for 2009.
There were a few others that could have made this list, but these nine seemed to be the best of the best.
Chip Shots
* It seems like every year we lose prominent figures from our community that helped mold our area's golf history, and 2009 wasn't any different. Bob Crozier, who along with his wife Marlene started and ran the Kern County Junior Golf Association since 1981, passed away and long-time Valle Grande golf course head pro Ro "The Pro" Reese also left us. Reese was the pro at VG in the 80s and 90s and left for the China Lake golf course in 2000. Reese retired earlier this year in March before passing away. Although gone, they certainly are not forgotten.
* Next week Tee to Green will announce the winner of the 2009 Pro Shop Golf "Performance of the Year". Until then, tee it high and let it fly!
Tee to Green appears weekly at Bakersfield.com. You can reach Gautney at: rgautney@bak.rr.com.
