While hosting its fair share of events through the Northern
California Golf Association throughout the year, as well as being a
first-stage host site for the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School (end of
October), San Juan Oaks Golf Club in Hollister will also be a
qualifying site for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship this
year (June 1), will be a qualifying site for the Frys.com Open
(Sept. 29), and will be the host site of next week’s West Coast
Conference Golf Championships for both men and women.
HOLLISTER
If there was a place to see the future golfers of tomorrow today, the San Juan Oaks Golf Club, located just on the outskirts of Hollister, might be the place.
Especially this year.
While hosting its fair share of events through the Northern California Golf Association throughout the year, as well as being a first-stage host site for the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School (end of October), the Fred Couples Signature golf course will also be a qualifying site for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship this year (June 1), will be a qualifying site for the Frys.com Open (Sept. 29), and will be the host site of next week’s West Coast Conference Golf Championships for both men and women.
Among everything else, it’s safe to say the maintenance department will be busy this year.
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“Being that we’re hosting events like the PGA’s Q-School and Pub Links, having those kinds of tournaments leads to hosting something like this,” Director of Golf Manny Freitas said of next week’s WCC tournament, which will welcome eight men’s teams and six women’s teams for two days of golf, beginning on Monday.
“This kind of leads into that level of player,” he added.
It is the first time San Juan Oaks has hosted a collegiate tournament at this level. Although colleges have used the Hollister course as a practice site in years past, never has San Juan Oaks been used to host a year-end college championship tournament.
“It’s pretty cool. It’s a pretty cool tournament to host,” Freitas said. “We’re excited about it.”
Beginning Sunday afternoon with practice rounds and continuing Monday and Tuesday with 54 holes of golf, San Juan Oaks will welcome eight men’s teams, including Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara; as well as six women’s teams, including Pepperdine, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Gonzaga, Portland and Seattle University, which is an affiliate member of the WCC this season.
“These are legitimate players and a lot of them will probably move onto bigger and better things after school,” Freitas said.
Entering Monday’s round of 36 holes, San Diego is the team to beat on the men’s side behind junior Alex Ching, who recently shot a final-round 70 at the Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., and finished in a tie for fifth with a 2-under 208 (69-69-70), according to the conference’s website. The preseason favorite, San Diego is currently ranked No. 22 in the nation.
The Pepperdine men are also a team to watch out for. Led by Josh Anderson and Andrew Putnam, who earlier this year was named a finalist for the Hogan Award, which is given to the top amateur golfer in the college ranks, Pepperdine enters the WCC championship as the 35th-ranked team in the nation, according to GolfWeek.com.
In the female ranks, meanwhile, the Pepperdine women are very much the team to beat, as they have been for nine years in a row now. Behind Alameda’s Grace Na, as well as teammates Taylor Karle and Danielle Kang, who was last year’s WCC Player of the Year, the Waves will look to win their 10th consecutive title next week at San Juan Oaks. The team is currently ranked No. 15 in the nation.
San Francisco and Gonzaga are expected to make a run at Pepperdine next week, though, while local prep star Taylor Camany, who graduated from Salinas High, is expected to be in attendance with the Santa Clara Broncos.
“This is right at the highest level as there is in college golf,” Freitas said.
Each team will consist of five members, meaning at least 70 collegiate golfers will be present, as well as family, friends and conference officials, which could balloon the numbers to well over 100. Freitas said as soon as it was announced that San Juan Oaks was the host site, calls and emails started coming into the clubhouse offices with interested parties wanting to know where to stay, where to eat, as well as a brief history of the course itself.
Contacted last June by the WCC — the course’s centralized location among the conference schools and its history as a host site for major tournaments made it an attractive option — San Juan Oaks has been planning next week’s tournament for nearly a year now, with course maintenance being the main focus in preparation.
Course set-up, mapping and pin placement have all been thoroughly discussed between San Juan Oaks and WCC officials. Hazards have been marked, new range balls are out, and the maintenance crew has dried out the course in order to meet WCC expectations.
“They want it hard and fast,” Freitas said.
Monday’s 36 holes of golf is expected to begin at 7:30 a.m. for the men, 8 a.m. for the women, with the same times scheduled for Tuesday’s remaining 18 holes. The event is free and open to the public.
“It’s a great event and we’re really lucky to have something this big in San Benito County … to take advantage of good players and good golf,” Freitas said.
