Boys' golf: Santa Barbara's Perez wins two-hole playoff for title

The day began under hot and sticky conditions, which seemed to be the right formula for a low-scoring golf event. But around 11 a.m. a gust of strong winds began blowing through Mission Lakes Country Club in Desert Hot Springs.

Those winds wound up blowing in favor of the Santa Barbara boys’ golf team. Senior Andrew Perez shot a three-under-par 68 to win the Southern Section-Toyota boys’ golf individual title. His Dons teammates, Shane Lebow and Jack Perry, shot 69 and 71 to finish third and fifth, respectively.

Perez, ranked No. 77 in the nation by the American Junior Golf Assn., beat Pepperdine-bound Johnny MacArthur of Newhall Hart, pictured, in a two-hole playoff to win Santa Barbara’s first individual title since 1972, when Tom Flanigan beat teammate Bruce Blakey.

Lebow, ranked No. 117 by the same association, beat Bryan Bergna of Riverside Poly in a two-hole playoff for third.

The Dons, who have not won a team title since that same 1972 season, are in great shape heading into the CIF/SCGA Southern California Regional tournament on May 29 at the SCGA Golf Course in Murrieta. Three teams and 24 individuals will advance from that tournament to next month’s CIF State championships in Santa Maria.

A team title is the goal of Santa Barbara Coach James Bedard, and a runner-up finish in the section’s team finals two weeks ago assured the Dons a berth in the CIF/SCGA tournament. Bedard wanted his players to participate in Monday’s tournament at Mission Lakes so they could be recognized for their individual efforts.

With a spot in the next round already secured, Bedard could tell his charges to play to win. Playing loose and care-free, Perez, Lebow and Perry did just that. “I don’t know if you could see it, but in the first and second [playoff] holes, I was just clowning around, just having a good time,” Perez said. “There was really no pressure." It was hard not to notice Perez’s relaxed attitude, even for MacArthur.

“He was laid back,” MacArthur said. “He just went out there and had fun.” MacArthur, who accomplished his primary goal of qualifying, was one of many players who began the day thinking there were going to be a lot of lows scores, “but the wind started picking up and it was blowing 30 to 35 [mph] consistently,” he said. “And that probably raised the scores two or three strokes.”

Not including the three players from Santa Barbara, who had previously qualified with their team, 24 individuals qualified Monday to the CIF/SCGA tournament. The team with the most qualifiers was Great Oak, which advanced three players: Jared Hentila (72), Doug Head (75) and Alex Fross (75). Fross, a sophomore, was one of six who had to participate in an 11-player playoff to qualify.

SOUTHERN SECTION-TOYOTA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Par 71, Mission Lakes CC, Desert Hot Springs

Qualifiers for the CIF/SCGA tournament, May 29 at the SCGA Golf Course in Murrieta:

Andrew Perez, Santa Barbara, 68*
Johnny MacArthur, Hart, 68
Shane Lebow, Santa Barbara, 69*
Bryan Bergna, Riverside Poly, 69
Tain Lee, St. Margaret, 71
Ben Lein, Los Altos, 71
Kevin Lim, Sunny Hills, 71*
Jack Perry, Santa Barbara, 71*
Joe Rosenthal, Malibu, 71
Jordan Cuthbert, Rio Mesa, 71
Ronald Monaco, Ontario Christian, 72
Nick Quintanilla, Alhambra, 72
Jared Hentila, Great Oak, 72
Ryan Tetrault, Villa Park, 73
Paul Lim, Torrance, 73
Steve Lim, Fairmont Prep, 73
Robbie Mamo, Granite Hills, 73
Jon Eric Cook, Paso Robles, 73
Kevin DeHuff, Santa Margarita, 73
Max Homa, Valencia, 73
Austin Kaiser, Atascadero, 74
Steve Kang, Beckman, 74
Glen Scher, Harvard Westlake, 74*
Bobby Barajas, Righetti, 74
Patrick Cantlay, Servite, 74
Doug Head, Great Oak, 74
Jeff Holen, West Ranch, 74
James Back, Lakewood, 75
Andrew Hoops, Redlands East Valley, 75
Alex Forss, Great Oak, 75
Ryan Knapp, Estancia, 75
Jonathan Noori, Viewpoint, 75
Boris Stantchev, L.B. Wilson, 75 *

* Previously qualified for CIF/SCGA tournament along with their team from section's team championships.

-- Jaime Cardenas

-- Image by Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times