Santa Barbara High’s boys golf team qualified for the SCGA Championship for the third time in the last four years on Thursday, getting through the CIF Team Finals by the skin of their teeth.
Servite won the tournament with a team score of 365 at par-72 Red Hawk Golf Course in Temecula, with Great Oak and Villa Park tying for second place with matching 370s.
Only the top four teams moved on to next month’s SCGA Championship and Santa Barbara and South Torrance tied for fourth. The Dons claimed the spot as their sixth score, Spencer Mikles’ 82, was one stroke better than South Torrance’s G.J. Sanati’s 83.
“We feel like we dodged a bullet here. We’re kind of lucky to be moving on,” said Dons head coach James Bedard. “Frankly, we’re estatic that we’re moving on.”
Jack Perry remained on his game, sharing overall medalist honors with Sunny Hills’ Jeffrey Kang and Great Oaks’ Doug Head. The trio carded rounds of 4-under 68s. Perry finished the week 10-under par in two rounds of CIF competition.
“For Jack to be at the top of the leaderboard with those guys… he’s really on fire right now,” Bedard said.
Ray Gerow and Shane Lebow followed Perry with 74, Mickey Kirby recorded a 77, and Sean Searls a 79.
The SCGA Championship, which includes the best high school teams from Fresno to San Diego, is June 3. Three of the Dons, Perry, Lebow and Kirby, first will compete in Monday’s CIF Individuals in Oxnard.
