SAN BERNARDINO — Two years ago, the Etiwanda boys golf team went winless in Baseline League play and won just one match overall.
Thursday afternoon at Shandin Hills Golf Club, a lineup of six juniors took to the fairways looking to try and finish their worst-to-first story.
Behind an even-par-round of 36 from Chintan Shah, the Eagles did just that with a 192-202 win over Los Osos to secure the first league title in program history. Etiwanda avenged a 198-210 loss to the Grizzlies just over three weeks ago at Sierra Lakes Golf Club.
Etiwanda 12-over-par team score also the lowest in program history. It clinched a CIF Southern Section team divisional tournament appearance.
“These guys persevered through a couple of pretty rough seasons as freshman and sophomores, put the work in, and today they reaped the rewards of that work,” Eagles coach Alden Gold said. “We’ve worked a lot on putting and I thought that was the biggest difference in our performance today.”
Angel Oliva birdied the 483-yard, par-5 first hole by getting up and down from 50 yards. He made back-to-back crucial par putts on Nos. 3 and 4 from between 5 and 10 feet to stay at 1-under-par halfway through the round. However, Oliva finished with two bogeys in his last four holes to post 37.
Etiwanda (12-1 overall, 9-1 in league) led by two shots with a group in as the Eagles’ Daniel Qu made four straight bogeys to post a 42.
Los Osos’ Preston Brown got up and down on No. 6 to stay at 1-over-par but made a bogey and double bogey in his last three holes to shoot 40 for the Grizzlies ( (11-3, 8-2). Yanfeng Guo made a double bogey from the left greenside bunker on No. 3 and was 2-over-par after five holes. However, the freshman, who earlier this year had a top-10 finish at Beaumont’s Cougar Classic, made three bogeys in his final four holes to shoot a 41.
Shah made a birdie at the 144-yard, par-3 third hole but gave it back with a bogey at No. 7 to shoot a 36. The Eagles led by seven shots after two groups, with Aramis Hovannesian shooting a 45 that included three double bogeys in a five-hole span. Jonathan Nolasco birdied the first hole for Los Osos, but he made three bogeys in a five-hole, mid-round stretch and posted a 38 that led the Grizzlies in a losing effort.
“On the van ride over here, we were focused and ready to get this win together,” Shah said. “When we came back from summer break we knew we had what it took to be competitive in this league, but to bring this title home is validation for all the work we’ve put in these last couple of years.”
Matteo Neri made a short birdie putt at No. 9 to shoot a 1-over-par round of 37. Meanwhile, Nathan Norkunas had a little bit of everything in his round of 4-over-par 40 that included three bogeys, two double bogeys, and two birdies. Both scores counted towards the team score and finished off a historic win for Etiwanda.
Los Osos had been below 200 in seven straight matches and saw an eight-match winning streak snapped with the loss.
The Baseline League’s individual qualifying tournament will be contested at Jurupa Hills Country Club on Monday and Tuesday. Tee time for both rounds is is noon.
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