The Hollister High boys golf team cemented its hold on first
place in the Tri-County Athletic League Tuesday with a convincing
T-CAL win at Ridgemark Golf
&
amp; Country Club.
The Hollister High boys golf team cemented its hold on first place in the Tri-County Athletic League Tuesday with a convincing T-CAL win at Ridgemark Golf & Country Club.
The Balers totaled 156, besting second-place Gilroy, which had 167. North Salinas was two strokes back at 169.
The Balers now have 15 points in the team standings, one point ahead of Palma.
Still, with one three-teamer to play – at Corral De Tierra on Thursday vs. Palma and North Salinas, Baler head coach Mitch Thomas isn’t secure in the least bit. Only the top two teams in the league are guaranteed a spot in the Central Coast Section tournament. The T-CAL tournament is scheduled for April 29 at Quail Lodge CC in Carmel Valley.
“We could go have a bad day at the league tournament and not even make CCS,” said Thomas. “Our league rep is trying to get the league an at-large bid. We need to win Thursday to get a little insurance, but still. That doesn’t guarantee anything.”
“This league is nails,” said T-CAL representative Eric Kuwada, in his fifth year in charge of the Gilroy program. “It’s very competitive. It’s all coming down to the league tournament anyway. Hollister is a deep team. That’s why they’re going good. If anyone in their top four has bad day, their fifth or sixth guy comes through for them.”
Thomas is also concerned about individuals not on any CCS qualifying teams who don’t finish in the top three at the league meet, not qualifying for CCS. Last year, Live Oak’s Eric Justeson, one of the top players in the league, had an 81 at San Juan Oaks and didn’t qualify for CCS.
“Erick Justeson is by far the best player in the league this year,” said Thomas. “He deserves to go no matter what he does at the league meet.”
The Balers have one of the top players in the league in Ian Hudson. Hudson led the Balers Tuesday with an even par 37. He had no birdies and no bogies.
“The greens were bumpy and sandy,” said Hudson. “They’re working on them. It was hard to make a putt.”
Hudson powered a drive at the 510-yard par-5 No. 9 of the Diablo Course about 345 yards. He hit his second shot from approximately 165 yards away to 20 yards to the right of the pin and off the green about four yards. His chip went five feet past the cup, giving himself a solid chance for birdie. His birdie putt, however, went to the left by an inch and he settled for par.
Baler teammate John Dempsey, who carded a 40, clobberred his drive 340 yards on the 369-yard No. 6 hole. His pitch went over the green. He answered that with a nice chip close to the hole to save par.
On the 515-yard par 5, Dempsey hit the green in two, about 18-feet left of the pin. He wound up with a birdie four.
Other Balers scores included Danny Rivera, who shot a 39, Zach Zgragen (40), Chris Zubiaga (42) and Matt Lopez (44). It was the second straight quality round from Rivera.
“Danny’s been playing real steady,” said Thomas. “He’s not as long as a couple of the others, but he putts real well.”
Gilroy’s Chad Brownfield had a 44, but teammate Brian Kalimpong carded a 37. North Salinas was led by Anthony Valdez, who will play for San Jose State next year.
The Balers will be at the Stevenson Tournament in Atwater next Monday and at the Monterey Bay Invitational on April 22.
