San Benito qualifies for sections with second-place finish in
TCAL Finals
Carmel Valley – One by one, the members of the San Benito boys’ golf team filed off the 18th green of Quail Lodge Golf Club Monday at the Tri-County Athletic League Golf Finals. And as they did, the Haybalers’ chance to qualify for the Central Coast Championships as a team became more and more realistic.
First, ‘Balers’ No. 1 golfer Chris Shackleton turned in a 3-over-par 74. Then freshman and No. 2 Diego Navarro carded a 77. Derek Stone, San Benito’s No. 3, birdied the 355-yard par 3 final hole to finish with a 76. As the low scores rolled in, the buzz among the teammates got louder.
“We’re looking pretty good right now,” said Shackleton as he waited for his teammates to finish.
And the ‘Balers were pretty good in the end. When all was said and done, San Benito achieved its season-long goal of heading to Tuesday’s CCS Championships as a team. In addition to the low scores of Shackleton, Stone and Navarro, Ryan Wood shot a 79 to help the Haybalers finish with a second-place total score of 392. Winner Palma was eight strokes better with a 380.
Gene Park and Pat Fancher turned in an 86 and an 88, respectively, for the ‘Balers.
“To have four guys shoot in the 70s was amazing,” San Benito head coach Andy Parra said. “It was exactly what I asked of the kids.”
Salinas (397), Live Oak (419) and Gilroy (420) rounded out the top five team finishes.
Shackleton, who was also named All-League for the season, finished second to Palma’s Paul McChesney (2-over 73). The Chieftains’ Cory Donnelly carded a 75 for third.
Shackleton, who had qualified for CCS twice before as a sophomore and again as a junior, said he kept his score down by having an accurate long game Monday.
“My putting was not consistent. I had a few too many 3-putts,” he said. “I hit most of my fairways and most of my greens.”
Stone had a good feeling about the course before he even stepped on it. As a sophomore two years ago, the senior played a good round at Quail Lodge and looked forward to playing there again.
“I love this course. … This is the course I’ve been waiting to play,” said Stone, who had back-to-back birdies on holes No. 9 and No. 10. “It’s way easier when you have total confidence in the course.”
Despite ending his round with four bad holes – which included a difficult 422-yard, par 5 15th hole bordered by water that caused problems for much of the field – freshman Navarro was happy with his first league finals performance.
“It was pretty consistent,” he said. “I went in the water off the tee (on 15) and I had a great second shot, but the green dies out and it rolled into the water again.” Navarro finished with a bogey on the hole.
All season long, the ‘Balers and Gilroy had battled for the coveted third-place shot in league, which guaranteed a trip to CCS because of second-place Salinas’ ban from the 2006 spring playoffs. But while the Mustangs’ performance dropped off during the end of the season and at the finals Monday, the ‘Balers continued to get stronger.
“The last three weeks, other teams weren’t really playing,” Stone said. “But we’ve been playing the whole time and practicing every day.”
Even during spring break. While other TCAL teams didn’t have competition during that week, the ‘Balers played in the Aptos and Fog City Invites.
“From the middle of the season, their games have just come around,” Parra said. “I’m really glad for our seniors. They’ve had a rough four years.”
The CCS Championships will be held Tuesday at Rancho Canada, which is just down the road from Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley.
