Construction to Begin on New Irvine Course

The Irvine Co., creator of three of Orange County’s high-end public golf courses, will begin work next week on a fourth, a company official said Tuesday. This course, however, won’t be open to the public.

Shady Canyon, like Oak Creek Golf Club and the two courses at Pelican Hill, will be designed by renowned golf architect Tom Fazio. The course will be built in a gated community of nearly 400 luxury homes in the coastal hills east of the Turtle Rock neighborhood in Irvine.

The Irvine Co. had been wavering over whether to make the course public or private. In August, Dick Sim, the Irvine Co. official in charge of investment properties, said the course would be public with green fees somewhere between Oak Creek ($95-$135) and Pelican Hill ($175-$250).

Company officials were not available Tuesday to explain the reasons behind the decision to make the course private.

Rough grading on the golf site and the first phase of the homes will start next week, said Irvine Co. spokesman Rich Elbaum. Golf memberships are expected to go on sale in the spring or summer of 2001.

FIRST LOOK

Golfers looking forward to the new public course being built at Mile Square Golf Club will be able to get a preview starting Friday.

Mile Square will put into play four new holes on its original 18. The reconfigured back nine will lose the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes--two par threes, one par four and one par five--and gain one par three and three par fours.

Closing the holes on the original course will allow construction to begin on areas that will be part of the new course. Nine holes of that course are expected to open in September, said Scott Chaffin, Mile Square general manager, and the remaining nine by December.

TIDLAND TIME

Chris Tidland, a former Valencia High and Oklahoma State standout, qualified for his third consecutive U.S. Open, winning the sectional qualifying event Monday at Lake Merced Country Club in Daly City, Calif.

Tidland shot 6-under-par 138 in two rounds, taking medalist honors by two strokes over Jon Levitt of San Marino. Justin Boatman of Aliso Viejo tied with Clark Renner of Carlsbad for the sixth and final spot but lost in the second hole of the playoff and is an alternate.

Tidland will be making his fourth appearance in the U.S. Open, which starts June 15 at Pebble Beach. He missed the cut in 1995 as an amateur, missed the cut in 1998 and last year tied for 51st at Pinehurst.

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TEE TIMES

A look at upcoming tournaments in the region or major events involving top regional players:

JUNE

* 7: U.S. Junior Amateur Entry Deadline.

* 7-8: AJGA Aspen Junior Golf Classic, Aspen (Colo.) Golf Course.

* 7-8: AJGA Boise/John Dropping Memorial Junior, Warm Springs Golf Club/Hillcrest Country Club, Boise, Idaho.

* 7-8: AJGA Justin Leonard/Deloitte & Touche Junior Team Championship, Northwood Club, Dallas.

* 9-11: Fiesta de la Plata, Mission Viejo CC.

* 10-11: Los Angeles City Championship, L.A. City Courses.

* 10-11: Long Beach Match Play Championship, Skylinks GC.

* 12: California Amateur Qualifying, Antelope Valley CC, Lancaster.

* 12: SCPGA Pro-Pro Sweeps, Maderas CC, Poway.

* 12: U.S. Senior Open Qualifying, Bakersfield CC.

* 12: Goodwill Golf Classic, Coto de Caza GC. Benefits Goodwill Industries of Orange County. Information: (714) 547-6308 Ext. 308.

* 12: Casa Teresa’s Life Is Precious Tournament, Strawberry Farms. Cost is $250 for morning round, $195 for afternoon scramble. Benefits Casa Teresa, a home for single pregnant women in Orange. Information: (714) 538-4860.

* 12-15: AJGA Las Vegas Founders’ Legacy Junior, The Legacy Golf Club, Henderson, Nev.

* 12-15: AJGA Texace San Antonio Shootout, The Club at Sonterra, San Antonio, Texas.

* 13: California Amateur Qualifying, Cottonwood at Rancho San Diego CC; Goose Creek GC, Mira Loma.

* 14: California Amateur Qualifying, SCGA Members’ Club, Murrieta; Spring Valley Lake, Victorville.

* 14: SCPGA Four-Ball Match Play Championship, La Purisima GC, Lompoc.

* 14-15: SCPGA Seniors Championship, Los Serranos GC, Chino Hills.

* 15: California Amateur Qualifying, Industry Hills GC.