Robert Gautney: Centennial graduate Shah transferring to UCLA
| Thursday, Sep 22 2011 09:20 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Sep 22 2011 09:21 PM
It's so-long to the beaches and weather of San Diego for former Centennial High star Manav Shah.
Now, before you start feeling sorry for the second-year college student, consider that Shah will be going to a place that he has always wanted to be anyway. The former San Diego University student/golfer is just exchanging one beach locale for another.
Shah is transferring to UCLA.
After Tim Mickelson left SDU to become the head coach at Arizona State, Shah said that he "just didn't feel like SDU was the right place for him any longer".
"The main reason I went there was because of coach Mickelson," said Shah, who will redshirt his 2011-12 season and will have three years of eligibility remaining, starting next fall for the Bruins.
"I always wanted to go to UCLA; it just didn't work out right out of high school," Shah said. "It's a great program, a great school and it has a great campus, so I am very excited about the next four years here."
Of course, Shah also reiterated that San Diego wasn't too shabby, either.
Shah said that he hasn't yet chosen a major, but with the fifth year of school, he will probably try to add in a minor too.
And then there is pro golf down the road, but Shah doesn't plan on an early departure as of now.
Shah said that he will "probably" compete in the Kern County Amateur next month in a likely battle with Fresno State senior Bhavik Patel if he doesn't have anything conflicting with the UCLA program. The two matched cards in the Bakersfield City Amateur with Patel winning by a stroke.
Kern County Amateur sign-ups
Entries for the Men's Kern County Amateur are now being accepted at the Haggerty-North Kern golf course. The tournament will be Oct. 22-23 with NK hosting the first round and Foss-Kern River hosting the final round.
Entry is $100 and includes 36 holes of play, range balls and prizes. The tournament is for championship flight play only and the deadline is October 15.
The tournament will be the last of the Michelob Ultra/Sports Authority Player of the Year Series events. The winner of the 2011 Player of the Year title will be crowned at the conclusion of the KC Am at KR.
Currently, CSUB's Chase Goodvin leads with 56 points, followed by Fresno State's Bhavik Patel with 52, Manav Shah of UCLA with 47 and Scott Anderson with 44. Also with a chance to win will Nick Vallejo (32) and Ron Killmer (30).
Two players who will not be in the running will be Bryan Hogan who has 36 points and M.J. Morin who has 30 points as both players have turned professional and are competing this week in the Pre-Qualifying for the PGA Tour. Their results will be in this column next week to see if they advanced into the First Stage of qualifying.
Chip Shots
-- Malea Miller, the standout sophomore for the Bakersfield College Women's golf team, is a graduate of Frontier High and was part of those powerhouse Lady Titans' teams of the last few years. Her high school was reported incorrectly here last week.
-- Speaking of Miller, she along with a few other former local high school stars like Chase Goodvin, Ellen Krausse, MJ Morin and Bhavik Patel, have worked in the past or are currently working with Mark Garibaldi and The Garo Method for their golf.
-- The 2nd Kern County Senior Games golf tournament will be October 7 at Sundale CC. The proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer's Disease Association of Kern County and the Bakersfield Xmas for Seniors program. It's a 4-player scramble starting at 12:30. Call 835-2545 or 345-5282 to sign-up, sponsor, volunteer or to just get more information.
-- If anyone is interested in buying a golf cart, contact Foss-Kern River pro Jim Foss at 872-5128. He has 2003 Club Cars for $1,200.
-- One final note for this week. The West High School Class of 1977 lost a friend this past week when Robert Bret LaFond passed away after a battle with cancer . LaFond loved his family, loved the outdoors (including golf!) and was a big Chicago Bears fan. I am sure LaFond's big slice and big heart will fit right in upstairs! Here's hoping that the Bears make the playoffs in his honor this year. RIP Bret.......
Tee to Green appears weekly at Bakersfield.com/sports. You can reach Gautney at rgautney@bak.rr.com.
