RIVERSIDE — Jurupa Hills Country Club opened in 1960, and at 6,124 yards might be thought of as short by today’s standards.
Tuesday’s final round of the Baseline League boys golf tournament proved that this par-70 Billy Bell layout still has what it takes to challenge good players.
After 36 holes, seniors Jonathan Nolasco of Los Osos and Damien’s Jason Verkler Jr. were tied at 10-over-par with final rounds of 77 and 72, respectively. Nolasco got up and down for par on hole No. 1 of sudden death to earn the league’s individual championship.
“The wind really gets up out here and that combined with some tucked pins made scoring really difficult,” Los Osos coach Greg Walker said. “Jonathan works as hard as anybody out there and I’m so proud of everything he’s accomplished with us.”
Nolasco started with a two-shot lead over Damien’s Jimmy Walsh and teammate Yanfeng Guo. Walsh bogeyed the first but scrambled for back-to-back pars, tying the lead on No. 5 after Nolasco hit a tee shot out of bounds and made a triple bogey. Verkler made two birdies in a three-hole stretch — including a 20-foot putt from the back fringe on No. 8 — to grab the lead after shooting a one-under-par 34.
He led Etiwanda’s Matteo Neri by a shot at the turn with Nolasco and Walsh two shots behind. Neri made the second birdie in his group at No.8 as part of a two-over par 37 to start his final round, but four bogeys in a five-hole stretch ended his chase for a title. He’d qualify for regional play after shooting a 154 (+14) to finish third.
Verkler was 4-over-par after 14 holes with three bogeys and a double bogey on his back nine. He got up and down at the par-5 15th hole for the first of two birdies in his final four holes to close a round of 72 and be first to post an overall score of +10.
Nolasco made a double bogey at the par-3, 133-yard 14th hole to share the lead. At No. 15, he was able to hold the green with his second shot and made an 8-foot putt for eagle to get back to +10. After three straight, two-putt pars from outside of 30 feet, Nolasco joined Verkler for the playoff.
Both Nolasco and Verkler missed the fairway with their tee shots. Verkler was forced to hit a low punch shot under trees to get back into position, 100 yards from the green. He’d stick his wedge shot to three feet but miss the par putt to post bogey.
Nolasco had a downhill chip shot that rolled 6 feet past the hole, and with darkness setting in he made it to win.
“I really struggled with my putting yesterday so to see that eagle putt at No. 15 go down was definitely a big confidence boost,” Nolasco said. “My round today was a roller-coaster ride, but I managed to stay in it and find a way to win.”
That wasn’t the only playoff needed, as it took two holes for Chino Hills’ Keshav Joshi along with Los Osos’ Guo and Preston Brown to determine the fourth and final representative to regional qualifying on May 12 at Los Serranos Country Club after shooting +17 (157). Joshi actually left the premises but was able to get back before his playoff started and made two scrambling pars to advance.
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