McGihon--CSUN Golf Team’s Ace in the Hole

Meet Jon McGihon. He’s 26 years old, 6-1, 140 pounds, and he does not have an ‘S’ on his chest, no matter what you might have heard.

No, McGihon is not Superman. He’s a junior golfer from Indio who plays for the Cal State Northridge golf team. He wears sports shirts, pants and spikes on the golf course, just like anyone else. He does not change in the phone booth.

But he has done some superhuman things on the golf course. Just ask any duffer.

On Feb. 8, McGihon recorded the first hole in one during competition in Cal State Northridge history. It came on the par-3, 193-yard 15th hole of the Simi Hills Country Club. He used a two iron.

Four days later, McGihon shot another ace, again on a par-3 15th hole, but this time at the Woodland Hills Country Club. The shot, according to spectators, landed past the 137-yard hole and then backed in. He used a nine iron.

“He was hitting off an elevated tee and the ball has a tendency to back up,” said CSUN Coach Bill Cullum. “It didn’t hit the flag at all though. It just went right in.”

Cullum said the first hole in one was even a better-looking shot.

“It was perfect,” Cullum said. “I was standing on the back edge of the green and his shot hit the green perfectly and rolled right in.”

The next day, McGihon played in the Los Angeles National Tournament, and according to Cullum, he had four birdies on par-3 holes and each time his tee shot landed within three or four feet of the hole.

“He’s been playing that way for the last two weeks,” Cullum said. “He’s a strong irons player and he’s really been hot. He’s been shooting 74s and 75s with the hole in ones.”

McGihon’s streak has moved him up to the No. 1 spot on the Northridge team. Two weeks ago he was No. 4.

If McGihon has an advantage over his Northridge teammates, it’s that he learned the sport from an in-house expert. Glen McGihon, Jon’s father, is head professional at Vintage Country Club in Palm Springs. Glen has 10 aces to his credit. Jon has four.

McGihon will see action again this weekend in the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Invitational at Mountain View Country Club in Corona. Fourteen teams, including No. 2-ranked UCLA and No. 6 USC will compete.

Wanted: Football players aged 18 to 21 who have $1,249 and want to play football in Finland.

Pierce College football Coach Jim Fenwick is putting a football team together to represent the United States in the inaugural Finnish International Invitational Tournament, May 18-19.

The team will leave May 14 and return eight days later. The fee covers air fare, housing, meals and sightseeing tours.

“We’re going to represent the U.S. and to play some football, but we’re going to try to do as much sightseeing as possible,” Fenwick said.

Fenwick became coach of the U.S. team by answering a flyer sent out by Sam Ketchman, president of Athletic Enterprises in Florida.

“They arrange international trips for athletic teams,” Fenwick said. “In Finland football is in its pioneer stage. They’ve only been playing for about six years.”

Teams from Finland, West Germany and France will also compete in the two-day invitational.

Fenwick, who is coaching the team along with his brother, Chad, said that most of the players on the squad are from local colleges.

“We’ve had a real good response,” Fenwick said. “We have about half a team. Now we have to fill the rest of the spots.

Among the local players who are set to make the trip are Anthony Quagilno, a sophomore inside linebacker from Pierce, Gary Grayson, a sophomore defensive back from Pierce, Dwayne Decker, the center on Pierce’s team last year who recently signed to play for Cal State Northridge, David Breck, an offensive lineman from Cal Lutheran College, and Dave McLaughlin, a quarterback who played at Pierce two years ago and is now playing for Tulane University.

Players interested in making the trip should contact Fenwick immediately at (818) 346-1702 or (818) 991-4250.

It’s a good thing Northridge’s softball field doesn’t have lights.

Otherwise, people who planned on attending the Cal State Northridge-UCLA softball double-header at CSUN on Saturday would probably have to bring their sleeping bags to catch all the action.

The first game of the day is scheduled to start at noon, but plan on it going extra innings. The pitching match-up has Northridge’s Kathy Slaten facing either Debbie Doom or Tracy Compton. Whether it’s Doom or Compton facing Slaten doesn’t make a difference. Either way, look for a box score full of zeros.

Fortunately--for players and spectators--the coaches can agree before the game to play a tiebreaker if the game is tied after seven innings.

Tiebreaker rules state that after seven innings are completed, each team begins an inning with a runner on second base. That supposedly makes it easier to score runs.

With these pitchers even that might not work, however.

Slaten is 6-1 this season and she had an earned run average of 0.20 last season. Doom is 2-0 and last season had the lowest ERA in the nation (0.10). Compton, who is also 2-0, had an ERA of 0.29 last season when UCLA won the NCAA Division I national championship.

Northridge Coach Gary Torgeson, whose team won the Division II title last year, said that the three best pitchers in the nation will be on display during the double-header.

“A lot of people think Doom and Compton are the two best in the nation,” Torgeson said. “I feel Slaten is right there with them and I’m not alone in that opinion.”

Doom is coming off a perfect game against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo last week. Slaten’s record includes two wins over Division I power Cal Poly Pomona. She also has a no-hitter, the 14th of her collegiate career, against Cal State Hayward.

Freshman Delanee Anderson (3-1) will pitch the second game of the double-header for Northridge. Anderson threw two perfect games and eight no hitters in two years for Montclair Prep before coming to Northridge.