‘Balers lose opportunity to grab third place in TCAL; San Benito
falls one shot short of rival Gilroy as Salinas wins match
Derek Stone shook his head as he walked off the No. 9 green at Ridgemark’s Diablo Course yesterday, seconds after narrowly missing his par putt.
“I’m pretty frustrated with what just happened,” said the San Benito senior after three-putting the final hole to card a three-over-par round of 40. “Not good.”
Despite shooting the best round of the day for the Haybalers, Stone’s aggravation with his missed three-footer for par only grew as his teammates’ results came in. With San Benito in a tight battle with Gilroy for second place on this day behind Salinas, every stroke loomed large – and the ‘Balers seemed to be a bit off their game.
When the final scores came in and the Haybalers found that they lost to Gilroy by one stroke – 205 to 206 – Stone again vented his frustration.
“My putt would’ve tied it,” moaned San Benito’s No. 3 golfer, “and I missed. Arggh!”
Smiling and joking with teammates and competitors alike after the match, Stone knew that his finish was only the smallest part of his team’s cumulative score. But in this game of inches – and especially in the highly competitive Tri-County Athletic League – the ‘Balers know that every single one of their shots is significant.
San Benito entered yesterday’s round tied with Gilroy for third place in the league standings, trailing co-leaders Palma and Salinas. The ‘Balers’ narrow loss in the match moved them slightly behind the rival Mustangs, but plenty of time remains in the season for San Benito to make a run at one of the top-two TCAL places – and the resulting trip to the Central Coast Section Championships.
With Palma’s match on Tuesday postponed, Salinas made its bid for sole possession of first place by winning yesterday’s three-team competition with a combined score of 192. The Cowboys were led by Jason Simonetti, who took medalist honors with a 2-under-par 35.
San Benito posted five rounds in the low 40’s – but didn’t receive any outstanding finishes on this day. No. 1 Chris Shackleton and No. 2 Diego Navarro each carded a 41, and No. 4 Ryan Wood and No. 5 Gene Park both finished at 42.
“It was a little disappointing, obviously,” said ‘Balers head coach Andy Parra. “We didn’t play great, but we didn’t have any bad rounds either.”
On a day of ups and downs for the ‘Balers, Wood counted his bogey-6 on No. 7 – the course’s No. 1 handicap hole – as a personal highlight. After shooting a five-over the last time he played the hole en route to a round of 48, Wood wanted to make sure to “play smart more than anything.”
Content to hit a five wood straight down the left side of the fairway and ease his way into the treacherous 561-yard hole, Wood was pleased to avoid out-of-bounds play.
“That’s what messed up my round the last few times I played here,” said the San Benito senior. “It was a big problem.”
Gilroy squeezed past San Benito thanks to a pair of 2-over-par 39 rounds – by seniors Stephen Freeth and Jami Binowski.
Mustangs head coach Kari Williams was pleased with her team’s performance, but cautioned that the battle for TCAL supremacy will likely span the entire season.
“It’s tentative,” said Williams of the Mustangs’ position in the standings. “It’s going to go down to the wire.”
Parra also didn’t want to read too much into yesterday’s results.
“It was a small letdown,” said San Benito’s coach, “but we still have our eyes on making CCS.”
San Benito tees off in the Atwater Invitational in Atwater, Calif. on Monday. Gilroy and Salinas will join the ‘Balers in the non-league tournament of 30+ teams at Stevenson Ranch.
Scott Campbell is the sports editor of the Hollister Free Lance. You can reach him at (831) 637-5566 (x334) or at
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