HIGH SCHOOL GOLF CITY SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS : Taft’s Mink Snares Individual Title by 1 Shot; Grant Wins Team Honors

Taft High senior Sheldon Mink shot a seven-over-par, second-round 79 at Wilson Golf Course on Wednesday to finish with a 154 and win the City Section individual golf championship.

Granada Hills senior Tim Fernholtz, who played in Mink’s foursome on the course at Griffith Park, shot a 77 to finish second at 155.

Grant totaled 822 to win its second consecutive team title. Granada Hills (825) was second and Taft (829) third.

Each member of the Grant and Granada Hills teams, as well as the top 10 other individual finishers, qualified for the Southern California Golf Assn. championships at San Diego Country Club on June 8.

After Fernholtz bogeyed the 18th hole, Mink needed only to two-putt from two feet to stay ahead of his Granada Hills opponent. And he did just that to wrap up the title.

“I didn’t take my time because it didn’t matter,” he said. “At least, in my group it didn’t matter.”

Grant’s Elise Kimm, a co-leader Tuesday, teed off almost 1 1/2 hours after the other leaders because she had an advanced placement test in the morning. She barely made her 1:24 p.m. tee time and struggled.

“I got here five minutes before it started,” said Kimm, who was the low finisher among girls. “The fact that I had a test didn’t have anything to do with (how I played).”

Kimm’s second-day 86 dropped her into eighth place at 161.

Mink celebrated only after he learned Kimm was well off the pace after 16 holes.

“This was an anticlimactic way to win the title,” Mink said. “Maybe tomorrow, I’ll wake up and say, ‘God, I did it.’ ”

Over the first six holes, Fernholtz made up two shots on Mink to pull within one. It was even from there; Mink and Fernholtz each shot two under on the back nine.

“The first six holes were a disaster,” Mink said. “I managed to pull myself together.”

Granada Hills’ Kevin Kurhajec shot a second-day low 76 to finish third at 156.

Grant’s victory was achieved without No. 5 player Mike Silverman, who underwent an emergency appendectomy Sunday.

Cory Karpin of Grant shot 157 to finish fourth. Teammate Johnny Choi (159) was fifth.

“What won if for us was that we had a good day (Tuesday),” Grant Coach Howard Levine said.

Levine is confident his team can make a run at its third City title in a row. Josh Jacobs, who finished 10th at 163, is a sophomore and Kimm is a junior.