Robert Gautney: Local tandem of Fernando, Miller 32nd in SCGA 4-Ball
| Wednesday, Nov 18 2009 09:10 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Nov 18 2009 09:10 PM
D.J. Fernando and Jeff Miller gave it their best shot at the Dove Canyon CC on Monday and Tuesday in the SCGA 4-Ball Championship, but without their "A" games the tandem found themselves well back after the 36-hole tally.
Fernando and Miller, who had qualified for the championship at Rustic Canyon in Moorpark on Oct. 22, could only muster an opening round 1-over 71 that left them in 32nd place. A final round of 6-over 76 placed the Bakersfield duo well back at the end of the leader board.
The winning team was a repeat champion as George Downing from Santa Barbara and Kevin Marsh from Henderson, Nev., shot rounds of 67 and 62 to post a come-from-behind win, their second straight title in this elite tournament.
The 62 was clearly the round of the tournament as their 67 left them two shots back of three teams after the opening round.
Fernando and Miller needed to duplicate their qualifying score of 67 at Rustic Canyon to make their way into a top-five place as it took 7-under to garner a coveted SCGA plate.
The 4-Ball was the last SCGA event of the year before the year-ending Tournament of Club Champion events on Dec. 7. Hopefully we will have a few competitors in the three T of C tournaments.
BC WOMEN 2ND IN STATE
After finishing second to Palomar in the Southern California Regionals last week, the Bakersfield College Women's golf team found itself in the driver's seat after the opening round of the State Community College Championships at Kings Country Club on Monday.
The Renegades held an 8-shot lead over Sacramento City College with a total of 329 after the opening 18 holes, but couldn't sustain that pace with a final round total of 344. Meanwhile, Sac City shot a 330 on Tuesday to move past BC and take the State crown by five strokes.
"We had a chance to win it," said BC golf coach Larry Cook. "The girls probably got a little tight knowing that they were in the lead and we let a few shots slip away. But for being in the state championships for the first time, I'm very proud of the team."
Katherine James was BC's top performer with rounds of 82-79 to finish 6th at 161. James, the Western States Conference champion, was awarded with an All-State recognition that goes to the top six.
Ellen Krausse was equal 7th at 163. Krausse shot a 76 in the opening round and was alone in second place, but a final round of 87 dropped her just out of All-State recognition.
Stacie Netzer shot 171, Dee Ray shot 178 and Vivian Davis shot 194 to round out BC's scoring.
"It was a tough ride home," said Cook about being so close to a state title, "but if you would have told me before the season began that we could have a runner-up finish in the state, I think we all would have taken that. It was a great year, the best year ever for our women's program. Hopefully this will get some of the local high school girls thinking about coming to BC in the next couple of years."
FRONTIER 5TH AT CIF
The Frontier High girls golf team won the Division II CIF Central Section title with a 419 team score, but when it repeated that effort in the CIF Southern California Regionals, it wasn't enough to extend its season to the state championships.
That same 419 score an a tough SCGA Golf Course in Murietta on Monday left the Titans in 5th place. Only the top two teams advance to state.
Individually, Jordanne Barr, who has been Frontier's No.1 player all year, posted a 3-over 75 to finish 10th. The top six advanced to the state tournament on Wednesday at Pebble Beach and Barr would have needed a 73 to get into a playoff for the last of those six spots.
Meghan Shain shot 83, Tavia Rutherford shot 85, Cami Ulrich had an 86 and Malea Miller a 90 for Frontier, who will lose only one senior for next year.
East High's Micah Lopez shot 89 and Stockdale's Abby Marina had a 90.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS AT RIVER ISLAND
The 9th Knights of Columbus golf tournament will be Saturday at River Island CC in Porterville. The event starts at 9 a.m with an awards banquet to follow.
Entry is $100 and includes fees, cart, tri-tip lunch and prizes. Cash will be awarded to the top three teams. There will also be a raffle, fine cigars and a new car for a hole-in-one on a designated hole.
Proceeds go towards the Catholic and Community Charities. Call Rick Waller at 395-2674 to sign-up.
CHIP SHOTS
Only a couple of weeks are left to get your picks in for the 2009 Pro Shop Golf "Performance of the Year" award. The top individual performances that were mentioned in one of the Tee to Green golf columns for this year, are eligible to be considered. The top 10 or 12 will then be determined by Dec. 1. Readers can then vote for their favorite and on Dec. 17, the list will be whittled down to the top 5. From there, the folks at Pro Shop Golf, along with this columnist will select the 2009 winner. This will be the third annual award. Justin Pitts won in 2007 and Bhavik Patel won last year. You can vote on line at rgautney@bak.rr.com.
Tee to Green appears weekly at Bakersfield.com/sports. You can reach Gautney at: rgautney@bak.rr.com.
