Freshman men’s golfers Sean Shahi and Jimmy Willingham each finished among the top 20 at the 2005 California Community College Men’s State Championships earlier this week in Madera.
Shahi was eighth overall with a 36-hole score of 4-over-par 148 in rainy weather on the Riverbend Golf Course on Monday.
Irvine Valley Coach Ben Burnett told his players to be conservative.
“In that type of weather par has to be your friend,” Burnett said he told his players. “They had to stay patient and don’t try to force birdies. The most important thing was to try and keep the ball in play, hit fairways and go for the center of the greens.”
Shahi shot a 4-over-par score of 76 in the morning round and an even-par score of 72 in the afternoon round.
He ended up being the top individual finisher. The seven golfers that placed ahead of Shahi were all from schools in the hunt for the team title.
Shahi also missed out on being selected as an all-state recipient by one stroke.
The Irvine Valley freshman shot a solid two rounds of golf except for having to settle for a quadruple bogie on the 16th hole in the first round.
On the 435-yard 16th hole he hit a bunker and then fired a bunker shot across the green and ended up having to three-put to make the quadruple bogie.
In the second round on the same hole, Shahi made a birdie.
Willingham tied for 17th overall for the Lasers. He shot a 8-over-par total score of 152 in his two rounds.
Willingham finished at 78 in the morning and carded 74 in the afternoon.
Willingham and Shahi were the first two Irvine Valley men’s golfers to ever qualify for the state tournament.
“It has been a great season for IVC golf,” Burnett said. “In the fall, the women’s team won its first conference title and in the spring semester we had to men’s players make it to the state finals.”
Mt. San Antonio won the team title with a score of 759. Saddleback was second at 761 and Monterey Peninsula finished third at 763.
Saddleback’s Kevin Kim was the medalist at the tournament, shooting an even-par score of 144.