There’s No Leader in the Clubhouse at Woodley Lakes

Regulars at Woodley Lakes Golf Course in Van Nuys, who have waited for a real clubhouse since the course opened in 1976, will have to wait a little longer.

The $2.3-million clubhouse project, already several months behind schedule, probably won’t be finished until October, if then.

“The contractor is about six months behind on the contract and he’s struggling on it,” said James Ward, golf maintenance supervisor in the San Fernando Valley for the city of Los Angeles. “We’re hoping to be open by mid-October, if he can finish up.

“The construction is of very high quality. We’re getting what we paid for, it’s just taking them an awfully long time. I don’t know if the contractor is having problems with sub-contractors or what.”

The existing clubhouse at Woodley, including restaurant and bar, is built on a double-wide trailer.

There were plans for a permanent clubhouse when the course opened, and construction was under way when the course was being built in 1976.

But a cargo plane trying to land at nearby Van Nuys Airport crashed on the first hole, killing several people.

The wreckage slid past the No. 1 tee and destroyed the foundation of the clubhouse.

“All the buildings on the site were supposed to be temporary,” Ward said. “But they didn’t have the funds to finish the project.”

The City of Los Angeles has been looking at several designs for a clubhouse at Woodley in the last 10 years, but the price usually was close to $10 million.

The frills were eliminated but Ward claims golfers won’t be disappointed.

“There will be trophy cases, meeting rooms and a bar with a 180-degree view of the course,” he said. “There will be a patio with shaded seating areas adjacent to the restaurant.

“Woodley is a feel-good golf course, a unique facility, but it desperately needed a clubhouse. The golfers will love it, once they get it done.”

L.A. Golf Partners bought the driving range concession at Woodley last year and renovated the facility into one of the city’s best.

Golfers hit off grass, not mats, to artificial turf greens. Lights were added, allowing the range to remain open until 10:30 p.m.

But until the clubhouse opens, Woodley Lakes will be what it always has been--unfinished.

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Tim Hogarth of Northridge will lead one of two teams from the Public Links Golf Assn. of Southern California into the 34th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship on Tuesday at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Craig Steinberg of Van Nuys is on one of two teams from the Southern California Golf Assn.

Joining Hogarth, 1999 California Amateur champion and 1996 U.S. Public Links champion, on the primary Publinx team are Michael Turner of Sherman Oaks, a six-time SoCal Publinx champion, and Greg Puga of Los Angeles.

Patrick Carrigan of Alhambra, David Solomon of Long Beach and Robert Valerio of Hawthorne comprise the other Publinx team.

With Steinberg on the SCGA’s Blue team are Steve Pate of Santa Barbara and Pat Duncan of Rancho Santa Fe.

Scott McGihon of Bermuda Dunes, the SCGA Amateur champion, John Mallinger of Long Beach and Steve Conway of Newport Beach are on the Gold team.

The 72-hole stroke-play event includes the individual tournament and team competition among the 17 associations in the Pacific Coast Golf Assn., 15 in the United States plus British Columbia and Taiwan.

The SCGA has won the Morse Cup, which goes to the winning association, 18 times--the last in 1997. There have been eight champions from the SCGA, the last Jason Gore of Valencia in 1997.

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Jeff Osborn of Glendale and Anthony Kim of Studio City have shown their stuff in the high school ranks but will have a national stage next week in the 53rd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore.

Brandon Christianson of Valencia, who will be a freshman at Valencia High, also is in the field.

Christianson tees off at 8:24 a.m. Monday on the 10th hole of the Ghost Creek Course, where Osborn will start at 9:09. Kim will tee off on the first hole of Ghost Creek at 1:21 p.m.

All three will switch to the Witch Hollow Course on Tuesday, with the low 64 players moving on to match play after 36 holes.

Osborn, who will be a senior at Flintridge Prep, is a two-time selection to The Times’ All-Valley team and was co-champion of the Prep League last season.

Kim, of Campbell Hall, won the Delphic League title last season as a freshman and was selected to the Times’ All-Valley squad.

Christianson, 14, won his age-group title in the Optimist International Junior last year at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Tiger Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur three consecutive times from 1991-93, the first of his seven United States Golf Assn. championships.

Other former champions include David Duval in 1989, Gary Koch in 1970, Johnny Miller in 1964 and Gay Brewer in 1949.

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Hana and Ina Kim of Encino will play in the 52nd U.S. Girls’ Amateur, which also will be played at Pumpkin Ridge next week.

Hana, a recent graduate of Brentwood High who is going to Northwestern, will tee off on the 10th hole of the Witch Hollow Course at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Ina, who will be a senior at Harvard-Westlake High, will start on the same hole at 1:30.

It has been a breakthrough summer for Ina, who has won three American Junior Golf Assn. tournaments, while Hana helped the U.S. team win the Izzo Cup competition in Sweden.

Former U.S. Junior Girls’ champions include Emilee Klein of Studio City in 1991, Nancy Lopez in 1972 and 1974, Amy Alcott in 1973, Hollis Stacy in 1969, 1970 and 1971, and Mickey Wright in 1952.

Ina Kim finished in a tie for fifth Thursday in the rain-shortened AJGA McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls’ National Championship in Wilmington, Del., at 75-73-37--185

Hana Kim wound up at 80-79-36--179 and Sara Jones of Valencia was at 80-86-40--206.

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Jane Park of La Crescenta, playing in her first AJGA tournament, scored a two-stroke victory in the Compaq Junior All-Star Classic on Wednesday at Galena, Ill.

Park shot 78-75--153 and overtook first-round leader Chris Brady of Apex, N.C., who finished at 78-77--155 in the tournament for 13-15 year-olds.

“I didn’t hit my irons as accurate as I would have liked to but I was hitting my drives pretty well,” said 13-year-old Park. “My main goal coming into [Wednesday] was to shoot par on most holes and I was able to accomplish that.”

Park made two birdies on the back nine to pull ahead.

Kyle Dowden of Somis shot 75-72--147 to finish tied for second in the boys’ division, one stroke behind Tarik Can of New York, who finished at 71-75--146.

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Ted Lehmann of Westlake Golf Course won the SCPGA Match Play Championship on Wednesday on the Champions Course at the PGA of Southern California Golf Club in Beaumont.

Lehmann beat Ken Conant of Sierra La Verne Country Club in the final, 3 and 2.

Lehmann, who earned $4,000, reached the final by routing Mike Mitchell of Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, 5 and 4.

Dan Hornig of Shadow Mountain Golf Club in Palm Desert eliminated Bob Smith of Olivas Park Golf Course in Ventura, 3 and 2, in the quarterfinals.

Mike Bielsik of Whispering Lakes Golf Club in Ontario ousted Paul Holtby of Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, 2 and 1, in the third round.

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Mike Szedlacsec of Woodland Hills shot six-under par 66 to win a Golden State Tour event Monday at Soboda Springs Royal Vista Golf Course in San Jacinto.

Szedlacsec won by one stroke over Sandy Morrison of Palm Springs and collected $750.

Jorge Lugo of Agoura tied for seventh at 70.

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James Logeman of Agoura Hills won the Ventura City Championship by shooting 69-70--139 at Buenaventura and Olivas Park golf courses last weekend.

Logeman, a senior at Oak Park High, won by two strokes over Zack King of Ventura, who finished at 72-69--141.