Shackleton advances to CCS Finals with 1-over 72; San Benito
finishes 10th out of 11 teams at Rancho Ca
ñada West
Carmel Valley – After already meeting its season-long goal of qualifying for the Central Coast Section Championships, the San Benito boys golf team got to enjoy the fruits of its labor on Tuesday. The Haybalers enjoyed their day in the sun, playing Rancho Cañada West alongside the area’s top teams and individuals.
San Benito shot a combined 409, taking 10th among the 11 teams competing on the first day of the two-day tournament. Though the team as a whole failed to secure the top-four finish needed to advance to the CCS Finals next week, ‘Balers senior Chris Shackleton fired a 1-over-par 72 to qualify for the next round of the postseason as an individual.
Overcoming a day of scrambling that included four three-putts, Shackleton secured the second-best score among individuals not already qualifying for the CCS Finals with their team.
“I didn’t play too well, but I managed to work around it,” Shackleton said. “I was happy with the score. With how I was playing, I was pretty happy with it.”
“He hung in there and played tough,” San Benito coach Andy Parra said. “He didn’t have his ‘A’ game.”
San Benito No. 6 golfer Pat Fancher continued his late-season surge by shooting an 81 to come in second for the ‘Balers. Senior Derek Stone shot an 83, and Diego Navarro and Ryan Wood finished at 85 and 88, respectively. ‘Balers freshman Gene Park carded an 89 to round out the team’s effort.
After San Benito took second behind Palma at last week’s Tri-County Athletic League Championships to solidify its CCS bid, Parra said the ‘Balers didn’t have their best day at Rancho Cañada.
“I know it’s not what the kids wanted. I know it wasn’t their best performance,” Parra related. “I thought we were satisfied (to be at CCS) and, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough (Tuesday) to be satisfied. I thought we were content to be there and we didn’t have the same attitude we had during the regular season.”
Shackleton agreed that the ‘Balers were frustrated that they didn’t close with a better showing.
“I thought the team was a little letdown,” Shackleton said. “(But) for the season, we were really happy.”
Serra ran away from the rest of the field on Tuesday, posting a score of 360 – 18 strokes better than runner-up Los Gatos. Bellarmine (379) and Pacific Grove (380) also qualified for the CCS Finals. Serra’s Alex Darnier won medalist honors for the first round by firing a 6-under-par 65.
Shackleton enters the section finals for the second consecutive year. Set to return to Rancho Cañada next Tuesday, the San Benito senior knows what he has to do to advance to the NorCal Championships.
“I’m going to have to putt a lot better,” Shackleton said. “If I putt a lot better and play the way I am, I should be able to get my score down.”
As a junior, Shackleton carded a 72 at the CCS Finals, missing the difficult cutline of 69 by three strokes. The top-four individuals advance to the NorCals.
For San Benito as a whole, Tuesday marked the final stop in a remarkable season.
“We all felt really good about what happened,” Parra said. “We were all satisfied with a really good season. It was OK for it to end (Tuesday).”
