Santa Ana Country Club looks to defend Jones Cup title

The Jones Cup community golf tournament is always a good time for each of the five local country clubs that participate.

Of course, the competitive juices also flow.

Longtime Santa Ana Country Club team captain Geoff Cochrane was fired up last year after leading host Santa Ana to its first Jones Cup title. Every club participating has now won the tournament, in its 24th year, at least once.

Santa Ana will try to repeat Wednesday, when the Jones Cup tees off at Newport Beach Country Club.

As always, the tournament matches five professionals and club champions from Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Big Canyon, Mesa Verde and Shady Canyon in a two best ball format.

Mesa Verde, which has won the tournament eight times since it started in 2000, tees off first at 12:30 p.m. at Newport Beach on Wednesday. The squad includes captain Heidi Wright-Tennyson, professional Mike Fergin, ladies champion Kim Izzi, men’s champion Ryan Knapp and senior men’s champion Mitch Allenspach.

Robert Pang of Big Canyon Country Club, shown chipping onto the green at the Jones Cup in 2021, is a tournament veteran.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Santa Ana will tee off next at 12:40 p.m., featuring Cochrane, professional Drew Buddle, ladies champion Diane Booth, men’s champion Nico Bollini and senior men’s champion Brandon Goethals.

Shady Canyon, the two-time champion, will tee off as the middle group at 12:50 p.m. It features team captain Brian Gunson, professional Kyle Bezuidenhout, ladies champion Kelly Ly, men’s champion Eoin Middaugh and senior men’s champion Kyle Palmer.

Big Canyon, which has won the Jones Cup a record 10 times, tees off at 1 p.m. The quintet features captain Robert Pang, professional Erika Ilagan, ladies champion Olivia Slutzky, men’s champion Jordan Nasser and senior men’s champion Will Tipton.

Pang has been team captain for each of the club’s four victories since 2011.

Host Newport Beach, which tees off last at 1:10 p.m., features captain Robin Shelton, professional Andy Alderdice, ladies champion Ailam Newkirk, men’s champion Blair Walsh and senior men’s champion Todd Roberts. Newport Beach has won the tournament twice, most recently in 2015.