Santa Margarita Shooting For Section Team Golf Title

For the last five years, Santa Margarita has had the most consistent high school golf team in Orange County, winning the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. title in 1992 and the Southern Regional in 1993, ’95 and this year.

But the Eagles have never won a Southern Section team championship. Today at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs, they will try to win their first.

This might be Santa Margarita’s best team. It won the Southern Regional Tuesday at Coto de Caza by an amazing 24 strokes over second-place Servite. The Eagles are led by seniors Steve Wagner (72), Greg Pittenger (74) and juniors Kelly Craig (73) and Nate Blauer (74).

However, the Eagles could face a strong challenge from several teams. Sunny Hills has most of the same players who won the 1994 section title at Canyon Country Club. The Lancers, who finished second by one stroke to Palos Verdes Peninsula in the Western Regional, are led by senior Terry Noe and junior Jin Park.

Cerritos, which won the Central Regional by 18 strokes, Redlands, Palm Desert, Ventura Buena and Westlake Village Westlake also have strong teams.

University, a surprise third-place finisher in the Southern Regional, is making its first appearance in the section championship.

The top four teams today advance to the CIF-SCGA Championships June 6 at the SCGA Members’ Club at Rancho California in Murrieta.