White Advances in CIF Individuals

San Marcos Royal Thayer White advanced the Northern Region CIF Indiviudal Championship on Monday by shooting a 73 at Sterling Hills Golf Course in Camarillo. Thayer survived in a 3 hole playoff.

With 11 spots available, White was one of 12 golfers to card a 73, forcing a playoff that would eliminate only one. A bogey on the third hole ensured White’s spot.

“I was actually pretty relaxed the entire round, that’s why I think I did well,” explained White, who stayed away from any double-bogeys and chipped in for birdie on the 15th hole.

Thayer will join Jack Perry (Dons) and Niall Platt (Laguna Blanca)at next week’s CIF Southern Section individuals at La Hacienda.

Good luck Thayer!

San Marcos’ Season Ends at Cypress Ridge

May 11, 2009

After a strong run of victories to close out the season and place second in the Channel League, the Royals Boys Golf team came up short in the first round of the CIF playoffs at Cypress Ridge in Arroyo Grande.

Santa Barbara’s Dons (371), Atascadero(380), and Buena (371) advance to the next round on Thursday at Rancho San Marcos.

The Royals, with only two rounds below 80, were led by Scott Bradford and Dodge Ward at 74 and 75 respectively for a team score of 396, tied with Santa Ynez for 6th place.

Gear up for 2010. This promises to be a strong team that will contend for the league title and more!

San Marcos (396):

Scott Bradford 74

Dodge Ward 75

John Etsell 82

Kyle Rieb 82

Thayer White 83

Robby Macfarlane 87

San Marcos’ White to CIF Regionals

May 8,2009

After the second day of the CIF Channel League individual playoffs at Soule Park GC in Ojai, San Marcos’ Thayer White emerged as one of 6 Channel League golfers to advance to the regional at Sterling Hills later this month.

Thayer became part of that 6-man group by sinking a 20-foot downhill birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. His round of 71 marked his first ever under-par outing.

“That putt felt amazing. When I first hit it I saw it was on line and I knew it was going to go in… I would definitely say that was the greatest shot of my life,” he said.

Good luck Thayer!

Royals dominate Ventura to advance to CIF Playoffs

April 30, 2009

Dodge Ward’s 3-over 74 led the Royals to a 391-429 regular-season ending victory over Ventura at La Cumbre Country Club.

The Royals finish with an overall record of 8-9, but more importantly, San Marcos won four straight Channel League matches after an 0-2 start to finish in second place at 5-3.

CIF team play starts at Cypress Ridge GC in Arroyo Grande on May 11.

“Even though this was our last match, the season has just begun,” said Scott Bradford after the match. Bradford shot a 79 for San Marcos.

John Etsell also broke 80, carding a 77.

Dons Sneak by Royals

April 29, 2009

Led by Jack Perry’s 1 under par 70, the league leading Santa Barbara Dons edged out San Marcos 396-401 at Rancho San Marcos. On a windy afternoon the Dons had some anxious moments, but managed to stay the course.

San Marcos coach David Siordia said he was proud of how his team battled in the wind.

“Everyone expected Santa Barbara to blow us out of the water but I told my boys anything could happen. To get within seven and to have my three (Kyle Rieb – 83) and four (Scott Bradford – 84) play like they did is pretty good,” he said.

SANTA BARBARA 394, SAN MARCOS 401

at par-71 Rancho San Marcos

Medalist — Jack Perry, SB, 70.

SB: Mason Field 77, Shane Lebow 79, John Baur 84, Ray Gerow 84. SM: Scott Bradford 84, Kyle Rieb 83, Thayer White 80, John Etsell 78, Dodge Ward 76.

Team records — SB 9-2, 6-0; SM 4-3 Channel League.

Ward Has Big Round: Royals Win at Glen Annie

The Royals took their game to DP’s home course Glen Annie Golf Club with the words “must win” in their minds, and came through with an 8 stroke victory, led by Dodge Ward’s medalist round of 69! SM is tied with Buena for 2nd in the Channel League with a 4-2 record. A 2nd place finish in the league guarantees a CIF berth.

Coach Siordia was pleased with this match: ” Today was a great win for our team. Once again we had a great practice yesterday and it paid off today. Our team scores are finally starting to show how good we really are. A lot of people didnt think this team had a chance but I always knew this team was special.  We are very young, very talented and VERY motivated.  I cant tell you how proud I am to be the coach at SM.”

SM Scores:

Dodge Ward 69
Thayer White- 72
Scott Bradford- 74
Kyle Rieb-73
John Etsell- 78

Dodge Ward has come a long way and all his hard work paid off today.  He played a very solid round today making 3 birdies and one bogey in route to his two under 69.  Another great story was freshman Thayer White.  Thayer posted his low round of the season on a day when it ended up making a big difference for the Royals.

next week the Royals face a powerhouse Dons tem, followed by Ventura to round out the Channel league season.

Big Win Over Buena

Windy days have made play more challenging for the Royals this week, but they came through with a key Channel League victory against Buena on their home course, Olivas Links, in Ventura. After losing to Buena 9-2 (2-2) by one stroke earlier in the season, this was a big win for the Royals 4-7 ( 3-2). Final score : San Marcos 397, Buena 401.

From Coach Siordia: “This was a typical windy day at Olivas with winds up to 15+mph.  We were very lucky the wind died down since it has been blowing upwards of 60mph the previous 2 days.  The team played very solidly under the pressuring knowing this was a must win situation.  Buena beat us at home last month and it only made us work harder. We know every channel league match from here on out is very important in regards to getting into CIF.

” We prepared well for this match. We knew it was going to be windy and hard so we practiced all the shots necessary to play that type of course.” ” Since I started coaching at SM four years ago I have never had a group of kids want to win as much as these kids.  And most importantly they work hard at it. I mean all kids want to win but not all kids want to do what it takes”.

SM scores:

Thayer White 81
Dodge Ward-78
John Etsell-79
Kyle Rieb- 76
Scott Bradford-83

Next week the Royals take on Dos Pueblos at Glen Annie.

Royals Pound Ventura

The Royals continued their strong league play Thursday at BuenaVentura Golf Club, an away match against Channel League competitor Ventura, on a typical windy day playing about 1 club longer. SM shot 378 and defeated Ventura on their home course. Ventura shot 400.

Medalist- Ben Shur, Ventura- 68

SM scores-

John Etsell-72
Dodge Ward- 74
Kyle Rieb-74
Scott Bradford- 75
Thayer White- 83

Another solid round for John Etsell. He has continued his solid play proving he is going to help  SM get into the playoffs. Coach Siordia’s observations after the match:

“As of now we are focused on making the playoffs. We know we can compete with anyone BUT in order to prove that we must make CIF. That’s why these Channel League matches are so important. We have worked real hard over the past month and our scores are starting to prove it”

” If we can get our 5 and 6 man playing to their potential we will be way ahead of our set goals. Our 1-4 spot are as solid as can be. Its just a matter of time, its just too bad golf season is only 3 months long”.

This weeks prep for the match included a team-building day at The Valley Club sponsored by Dr. Stewart White, who also treated the team to dinner afterwards. Thanks Dr. White!!

Royals Best Chargers at La Cumbre

The Royals roared back at La Cumbre CC on Tuesday with a big win over Channel League rival Dos Pueblos. This match might have been one of the most talked about golf matches of the season in SB.  With Santa Barbara High well positioned to win the Channel League, securing the 2nd spot is very important to get a CIF berth.  With both teams coming off a home loss to Buena, today’s match was crucial.  DP only has 1 loss while San Marcos has only been able to get 2 wins until today. Coach Siordia’s observations:

“All last week we  worked hard for this single match.  My job was to: a) make sure my kids  knew the course and b) to make sure they were mentally prepared.  Being a member at La Cumbre helped me talk course management,  and talking about positives and past success helped the kids realize they have what it takes.”

Medalist honors were shared between John Etsell and Dodge Ward, each firing a 1 over par 72. This was John’s low match score of the year, and his best round ever at La Cumbre CC. Dodge continues to be bedrock solid and consistent. Kyle Rieb’s 76 was a big turnaround at the right moment. He has struggled early, but after an excellent practice round last week at La Cumbre, and changes over the weekend, he put in an excellent round.

San Marcos scores were:

Dodge Ward 72
John Etsell 72
Kyle Rieb 76
Scott Bradford 78
Robby MacFarlane 80

The season is still young and we have to keep working hard to beat DP at their home course.  They are very very solid at Glen Annie.

Scott Shines Again

Scott Bradford had another outstanding 18 at Tierra Rejada CC in Moorpark, a 6700 yard, hilly par 72.Scott led the Royals with a 71!  Dodge Ward followed, turning in a solid round of 75. But it was another rough day for the team, with the Royals’ 407 a long way from Westlake’s 357. Medalist honors went to Brandon Hagy of Westlake, who shot 68. For San Marcos, John Etsell shot 81, Kyle Rieb 87 and Peter Wilson 89. It’s back to the drawing board on Friday at Alisal against Santa Ynez on their home track.