San Marcos’ Chavez, Damien’s Ramirez Share Title

GOLETA —  Michael Chavez of Santa Barbara San Marcos and Nick Ramirez of La Verne Damien shared the Southern Section boys’ individual golf title Monday at Sandpiper Golf Course, but as players they share little else.

Chavez, a junior, is something of a golf prodigy. His father is a club professional, and last weekend he finished second at an American Junior Golf Assn. event in Sacramento.

Ramirez, a senior, is a competitive neophyte. He only plays golf regularly during the high school season and before Monday had never broken par for 18 holes.

None of their differences made a difference, however. Chavez and Ramirez each made a late charge to finish two-under-par 70 on Sandpiper’s challenging 7,068-yard layout next to the Pacific Ocean.

Oxnard Santa Clara senior Tim Wren was the only other player under par, shooting 71 to finish third. Jin Park and Philip Lee, a junior and sophomore from Sunny Hills, each shot 72 to tie for fourth.

Park, Lee and Los Alamitos senior Jason Beach, who shot 73 to finish fifth, were among 10 Orange County players to qualify for the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. boys’ individual championship June 6 at the SCGA Members’ Club at Rancho California.

Foothill sophomore Nick Seymour shot 75 and Huntington Beach’s Chris Wilson, Brea Olinda’s Anthony Eliason, University’s Bill Bodensteiner and Santa Margarita’s Kelly Craig and Steve Wagner each shot 76. Adam Ainbinder of Servite, Peter Hergert of Esperanza and Tom Osseck of Laguna Hills shot 77s to join a 15-way playoff for the final spot, which was won by Ainbinder with a par on the 471-yard par-four second hole.

Chavez birdied the 13th, 14th and 16th holes and bogeyed the 15th. Ramirez started his run with a four-foot putt for birdie on the 599-yard par-five 15th. Then after nearly hitting his drive on 16 into a hazard and hitting his approach shot 35 yards short of the green, he chipped in for birdie. He made a 10 footer on 17 for another birdie.

Ramirez, who said his best previous score for 18 holes was 73, seemed a bit stunned by his finish. During the off-season, he plays once a week, “if that,” he said. “All these guys play every day.”

Ramirez says he plans to start playing more often. After graduating, he is moving to Aliso Viejo and he has lined up a job as a cart attendant at Coto de Caza.

He plans to attend Saddleback College and try out for Bill Cunerty’s team, which recently won its fifth state title. “I hope I can make the team,” Ramirez said.

Brett Connors, a junior from Santa Ynez and son of Jimmy Connors, also played Monday. But Connors, the Los Padres League champion, was disqualified because section officials learned he had played Saturday at Sandpiper. Section rules forbid play on the course between May 5 and the tournament.