SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: CIF State Boys Golf Championships
Temple City's Hirayama wins the silver medal.
Kai Hirayama, Temple City (Escarcega)
SAN GABRIEL – A three-year painful journey for Temple City’s senior boys golfer Kai Hirayama concluded with a day he’ll never forget.
The senior, who will be attending the University of California at Berkeley, shot a 4-under 67 to take the Silver Medal at the CIF State Boys Golf Championships held at the San Gabriel Country Club.
Oaks Christian’s Max Emberson took the gold medal with a 5-under 66 with Steven Lai (Stevenson HS) and Jay Leng (Torrey Pines) finishing in a tie for third at 3-under.
Oaks Christian’s Max Emberson (Escarcega)
In the team competition, Torrey Pines won the team crown with a combined score of 361. De La Salle, which won the state title two years ago at SGCC, finished in second place with a 367, and Oaks Christian took third with a 373.
Torrey Pines, CIF State Boys Golf Team Champions. (Escarcega)
The journey that Hirayama took to get to this moment was not an easy one. “Three years ago, I got hurt doing some running during a practice and that was not fun,” Hirayama said. “Last year, I got the case of the putting yips which was challenging. But this was a lot more fun today.”
Hirayama got the day started quickly as he birdied three of the first six holes before a briefing stumble with a bogey at the par-4 443-yard seventh hole. From that point until the end of the round, Hirayama played the course very well with no bogeys and birdies on the 13th and 15th holes.
“They made the rough very thick today, so it was a premium to keep the ball on the fairways,” Hirayama said. “The greens were fast and that added to the challenge of the day.”
It appeared as if two golfers from the Rio Hondo League were going to receive medals as La Canada’s Logan Kim had four birdies and one bogey heading to the eighth and nine holes (he started his round on the back nine). However, he posted a bogey on the eighth and then tripled bogeyed the par-3 ninth to finish the round tied for 14th at one-over 72.
No player felt the wrath of SGCC with its tight fairways, thick rough, and fast greens more than Diamond Bar’s Logan Park. Last week, Park won the Southern Regional at Los Serranos Country Club with a 10-under round (record matching). Wednesday was a different story as he failed to birdie a hole with two bogeys and one double bogey to finish in a tie for 26th place.
The San Gabriel Country Club will also be the venue of the CIF State Golf Championships in November.