Local golf notebook

At the high school, junior college and NCAA level, the regular season is over for golf. As you might expect from teams playing in and around Pebble Beach, many of our local squads are looking at deep postseason runs.

MPC

The men's team at Monterey Peninsula College is looking for its first state title since 1987. The Lobos get the opportunity to get that done next week. The CCCAA Men’s Golf State Championship opens up on Monday at Kings River Country Club, near Fresno.

The Lobos took third place in the Northern California CCCAA Men’s Regional Championships at Merced Golf & Country Club, with top-10 finishes from Taylor Daniels and Greg Moreno. If league MVP Will Cross is at the top of his game next week, the Lobos will be in good shape.

"The team has a great chance of winning this year," MPC coach Justin Russo said in an email.

Central Coast Section

On the high school level, Stevenson appears to be in the driver's seat. Longtime coach Bill Hankison asked for a little more out of his seniors before the CCS Regionals and they delivered. Nick Simmons shot 3-under 68, the top score from either day of the tournament. The Pirates are senior-heavy and would no doubt love to earn Hankison one more state title before he retires.

After Stevenson posted a 359 team score on Day 1, Bellarmine one-upped the Pirates and shot 356 when they got the chance to compete on the second day. Both teams had two players under par, with Nick Rivera (70) joining Simmons for Stevenson and Bellarmine's Eddy Lai and Berk Harvey coming in at 69 to share medalist honors on the second day. Expect to see those two teams battling it out for a section title on Tuesday in the CCS Championships at Rancho Cañada’s West Course in Carmel Valley.

Don't count out Palma, which joins Stevenson as a Monterey County representative on Tuesday. The Chieftains are a laid-back group that doesn't fold under pressure. Hansi Hell was co-medalist with the two Bellarmine golfers on Day 2 at the CCS regionals. Palma is solid up and down its lineup.


CSUMB

Last, but certainly not least, the CSU Monterey Bay men's golf team has its eyes on another national title. The Otters will compete in the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Championship on May 18–22 on the Jones Course at Rock Barn Golf and Spa in Conover, North Carolina.

CSUMB looked dominant at the NCAA West Region Tournament at Hiddenbrooke Golf Course in Vallejo, with Ray Richards draining a 70-foot putt on the 18th hole to earn a share of the individual title. Carr Vernon, Anton Rosen and Fredrik Jullum are All-CCAA golfers. The Otters are no strangers to deep NCAA runs and they are used to the intensity that comes with playing for an NCAA title.