San Diego-area high schools had impressive showings at the CIF/CGA boys’ state high school golf championship last week, as Torrey Pines High School won the team title – its second in eight years – and Scripps Ranch’s Alexander Schauffele (pictured) was crowned the individual champion at Poppy Hills GC in Pebble Beach.
Torrey Pines’ team score of 6-over-par 366 was nine strokes better than that of the runner-up, Robert Louis Stevenson School of Pebble Beach (375). The Falcons were led by Jay Hwang, the soon-to-be UCLA Bruin who fired a two-under 70, Danny Ochoa and Ryan Burgess (73s), Cal-bound Michael Kim (74) and Bobby Gojuango (76).
Schauffele holed out from the fairway on the par-4 No. 8 hole en route to a round of 3-under 69, a score that was matched by Nicolo Galleti of Foothill High in Pleasanton. Schauffele prevailed on the third playoff hole to capture the individual title. He will play in the California State Amateur June 20-25 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco and will join the Long Beach State golf team next year.
Other noteworthy performances by Southern Californians included Clayton Yamaguchi, Venice, tied for fifth, even-par 72; Jonathan Sanders, New Community Jewish High School in West Hills, tied for eighth, 1-over 73; Beau Hossler Jr., Santa Margarita (and U.S. Open qualifier last week at Oakmont CC in Glendale), tied for 12th, 2-over 74; and Ben Doyle, La Jolla, 2-over 74.
