Anteaters second in Santa Barbara

The UC Irvine men’s golf team, ranked 37th nationally, finished

second of 20 teams in the Bite/Pacific Coast Intercollegiate

Tournament that concluded Tuesday at Sandpiper Golf Course in Santa

Barbara.

Fresno State, ranked No. 40 in the country, won the tournament

with a 54-hole score of 23-under par 841. UCI followed at 843 and UC

Riverside was third at 845.

UCI senior Mike Lavery was second at 8-under 208 after a

final-round 71. Junior Vinnie Poncino shot 71 Tuesday to finish

seventh at 6-under 210.

Nick Watney of Fresno State was the medalist with a 17-under total

of 199 including a 4-under 68 Tuesday.

UCI senior Ryan Armstrong finished 32nd at 217 and freshman Ryne

Rindfleisch was 38th at 218 after each shot 74 in the final round.

Senior Jeff Coburn, who withdrew from the first round Monday, shot 72

in Tuesday’s last round.

Coach Paul Smolinski’s Anteaters return to action in the Western

Intercollegiate tournament at Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz

next Monday and Tuesday.

Eagles in a breeze

Freshman Greg Les shot a 4-over 40 to earn medalist honors in the

Estancia High boys golf team’s triumph over Golden West League rival

Ocean View, 216-243, Tuesday at Mesa Verde Country Club.

Les birdied the par-3 seventh and was followed in the scoring by

Jason Cassidy (42), Marcus Sostak (43), Jason Les (45) and Austin

Serr (46).

“It was windy so it made for difficult conditions,” said Estancia

Coach Art Perry. “Shooting in the 40s was a good score.”

Estancia (6-1, 3-0 in league) faces cross town rival Costa Mesa

Thursday on the Mesa Linda course at the Costa Mesa Golf & Country

Club at 2 p.m.

CdM wins by seven

Junior Alex Chikovani shared medalist honors and shot 1-over

par-36 to help lead the Corona del Mar High boys golf team to a

195-202 Pacific Coast League victory over University at Rancho San

Joaquin Golf Club.

The Sea Kings (6-3, 3-0 in league) also received key contributions

from junior Nick Sherman (38), sophomore Zack Rabinovich (39), senior

Brad Chamberlin (40 and junior Rob Ury (41).

The victory marked CdM’s 14th consecutive league win, Sea King

Coach Mike Starkweather said.

Tars top Hawks

Newport Harbor High’s Michael Benvenuti and Davis Pemstein each

shot 39 to earn tri-medalist honors with John Lorenzo of Laguna Hills

Tuesday, but that’s the closest the Hawks would get to the Sailors.

Newport shot 202 to Laguna Hills’ 213 on the par-36 course at Big

Canyon Country Club in a Sea View League boys golf match.

Brandon Sowers and Garrett Whitfield each shot 41 and Michael

Vackar followed with a 42 for the Sailors in cold and windy

conditions, according to Newport Coach Marianne Towersey.

Newport (3-3, 1-1 in league) travels to Rancho San Joaquin Golf

Course in Irvine today to face powerhouse Woodbridge, which is 5-0

and ranked No. 3 by the Times

Mustangs miss

Costa Mesa High shot its lowest round of the season, but still

fell to Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana Tuesday in a nonleague boys golf

match.

The Mustangs shot 218 to Calvary’s 203 on the par-35 Mesa Linda

course at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club in blustery conditions, said

Mesa Coach Tom Baldwin.

Brian Beach shot Mesa’s low round with a 38 followed by a 39 from

Nick Zimmerman and a 43 by Adam Donovan. Billy Jackson fired a 47 and

Alex Mulhern shot 51 for Mesa (4-7, 1-0 in the Golden West League).

Beach birdied the par-4 ninth hole for Mesa, which previously shot

a 209 for its lowest score of the season until Tuesday.

“I was hitting an 8-iron 145 yards with the wind, but only 95

against it,” Baldwin said about the gusty conditions.”I didn’t know

what club to hit but I guess my team did because they played great.”

Mesa plays in its second league match today against Westminster at

Meadowlark Golf Course in Huntington Beach at 3 p.m.