New-look Muni ready for City Golf Championship

Could a high school star steal the thunder at this year’s Santa Barbara City Golf Championship?

Jack Perry, a senior at Santa Barbara High, and the 2010 Channel League and CIF Southern Section Regional champion, is considered one of the players to watch this weekend at the Santa Barbara Golf Club.

Santa Barbara High senior Jack Perry is a contender at this year's City Golf Championship.

He’ll be up against some stiff competition, including five former champions, when the 54-hole event tees off Saturday morning and runs through Memorial Day.

Using a double shotgun start for seven flights of competition, the tournament’s Championship Flight and A Flight will tee off at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. The times are opposite for the other four flights.

A cut will be made after Sunday and the final round will begin at 7 a.m., with the championship flight players going off at around 9.

There is no admission charge for fans.

Perry has been playing well coming into this weekend. During the last three weeks while playing for the Dons, he won the Channel League individual tournament at Soule Park in Ojai; fired a 6-under par 66 to claim medalist honors at a CIF-Southern Section Regional Tournament at Cypress Ridge in Arroyo Grande; shot a 4-under 68 in the CIF-Southern Section team final at Temecula’s Redhawk Golf Course to help Santa Barbara finish fourth and qualify for the SCGA Championships; qualified for the CIF individual finals at River Ridge in Oxnard with a 72 and advanced to the SCGA finals with a 76 at a wind-blown CIF-SS individual tournament at La Purisima GC in Lompoc.

He’ll be joined by Dons teammates Shane Lebow and Ray Gerow. Dodge Ward of San Marcos is also entered.

A high school player has not won the tournament since San Marcos’ Michael Chavez in 1994. He was 15 years old at the time, the youngest to ever win.

There is never a shortage of quality of players in the city tournament, and this year is no different. Here are a few notable ones:

Jeff Wilson, of Fairfield, is back to defend his title. He ran away with a four-shot victory last year.

Kevin Marsh is seeking his third title — he won in 2004 and 2005. The former Dos Pueblos star, who on Monday was inducted into the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame, won the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2005 and played in the 2006 Masters. He’s also a two-time SCGA Amateur champion.

Brandon Gama, a former Bishop Diego and City College standout, made history when he won the tournament in 2008. He scorched the course with a tournament-record 17-under 193, breaking the previous mark of 196 set by Sam Randolph Jr. in 1983.

Don Dubois, the champion in 2003, is a perennial title contender.

Another past champion making his return is James Ream, Jr., who won in 2000.

John Pate, a six-time champion of the tournament, is not playing this year due to a family commitment.

The past champions and others will find the surroundings at Santa Barbara Golf Club a little different when they play it.

“We did a couple of big projects to the course this last year,” Chris Talerico, director of golf, said. “We remodeled the fifth and 11th green complexes, we installed a continuous cart path system to all 18 holes, we also added some new rock and water features that definitely increased the difficulty of a few holes. They also improved the aesthetics of the course.”

The par-4 third hole now has a water hazard in play down the right side and No. 6 and No. 7 have expanded water hazards in the driving area, Talerico added.

Other cosmetic changes include new rock and water features on No. 16 and No. 17.

“Overall, the course is in good shape. The greens are firmer, faster and smoother than they have ever been,” he said. “It will take some time for all the new features and plantings to mature, but, overall, the improvements will be noticeable and enjoyable.

“The course will definitely play differently in the past.”