Section Golf Championships : There’s Lots of Company Near the Top

EL CAJON —  It figured that this year’s San Diego Section high school golf tournament would be wide open after the graduation of the two golfers who dominated the tournament for three years.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson of USDHS is now playing at Arizona State and La Jolla’s Harry Rudolph, who won in 1986 and ‘87, is now at Oklahoma State.

That left this year’s tournament up for grabs. And 29 golfers are within six strokes of the lead after the first round of the 36-hole tournament Tuesday at Singing Hills Golf Club.

David Thornton of Bonita Vista shot a two-under 69 to take the first-round lead. Brian Cates of Madison and Rob Dennison of Poway are at one-under 70.

The 104-golfer field was cut to the top 28 and ties after the first round. This year’s cut was at 75, providing the deepest field in tournament history.

“That’s the lowest (cut) I can remember,” said Gene Edwards, who has coached golf off and on at La Jolla for the past 32 years. “The 77s couldn’t believe it when they were out and now the 76s are saying ‘I don’t believe this.’ ”

The second round begins at 7:30 a.m. at Singing Hills. The top 10 finishers that are not members of the Madison and Poway teams will qualify for the Southern California Golf Championships in Bakersfield beginning June 11. Golfers from Madison, the section team champion, and second-place Poway who finish in the top 10 will not be counted toward the 10 berths the section is awarded.

Thornton was even after the first nine, but went two-under on the back nine for a 34, tying for the day’s low score on the back nine.

“I was putting bad all day,” Thornton said. “I didn’t have a birdie on the front but I eagled No. 7 (488-yard par five).”

Thornton, who said he will play at Southern Methodist next year, then birdied 13 and the par-five, 531-yard 18th for the day’s low round.

Dennison, who shot a 70, was the first alternate and played only because somebody didn’t show up for the tee time.

“I was expecting to wait all day,” Dennison said. “I’m glad I got to play.”

Dennison didn’t have to wait that long as a golfer in the day’s second foursome withdrew.

“I really wanted to play well today,” Dennison said. “I haven’t really played that well this season.”

Dennison didn’t get a berth in the section individual tournament when he missed the 170 cutoff at the Palomar League tournament by a stroke. He was then selected by the section seeding committee as the No. 1 alternate.

The attention the past three years had been on Mickelson and Rudolph, two of the top junior golfers in the nation. Mickelson won last year’s tournament by four strokes over Rudolph with a section record 135.

“When Mickelson and Rudolph would come in with the sort of rounds like they did the focus was on them,” Edwards said. “They were kind of the apex and now you can see all the other potentials.”