Golf: Getting Saltus in San Francisco

Richard Dunn

For those hoping to catch a more frequent glimpse of two-time Costa

Mesa city champion Bryan Saltus, The Golf Channel will provide it this

summer in its coverage of the Canadian Tour.

Saltus, a Newport Harbor High product, qualified for the Canadian Tour

with a 7-under total in five rounds, finishing tied for fifth out of 140

players at Kamloops, British Columbia.

Saltus, 30, has caught fire in 2001, winning the San Francisco Open

and a $20,000 first-place check in early May, after taking third at the

Tommy Bahama Newport Beach Open in April at Newport Beach Country Club.

In the three-round San Francisco Open at Palo Alto Municipal Golf

Club, Saltus shot a blazing 67-68-65--200, tying a course record on the

final day and winning by four shots.

The former Big Canyon Country Club caddie, whose home course is Costa

Mesa Golf & Country Club (Los Lagos Course), is excited about his initial

stint on the Canadian Tour, which will have its tournaments, with purses

usually $150,000 or $200,000, televised this year by The Golf Channel.

“I’m really looking forward to being up there and playing on TV,” said

Saltus, who will sponsor himself this summer, paying the $200 entry fees

at each stop, while hoping to bank a winner’s check or two, which are

$20,000 to $30,000.

“Some big things are going to happen up there I think,” said Saltus,

who finished one shot off the lead in the $10,000 Newport Beach Open, in

which Mike Fergin beat 43-year-old Fred Stamey in a three-hole playoff.

Saltus is trying to become the second Newport-Mesa golf professional

to win the Order of Merit, the Canadian Tour’s leading money winner.

Eric Woods, a Corona del Mar High product, captured Canadian Tour

money titles in 1993 and ‘94, after winning the South American Tour Order

of Merit in 1992.

Woods, who owns and operates The Swing Lab in Costa Mesa, is also

scheduled to play the Canadian Tour this summer.

Some of the world’s greatest hidden treasures are golf courses in

British Columbia, with arguably the most stunning golf landscapes man has

ever created.

I’ve seen the course hosting the Canadian Tour stop this weekend: The

Shell Payless Open at Gorge Vale Golf Club in Victoria, B.C., on

Vancouver Island. It’s surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and a forest of

green, with bright colors seemingly detailing every corner. Just

spectacular.

The Junior Amateur Golf Scholars Tour, a year-round tour for boys and

girls 13-18, has scheduled seven 36-hole tournaments with no cut for the

2001 summer.

Membership in JAGS is not a requirement to play, but all players must

meet the 3.0 grade-point average standard. JAGS entry fees include green

fees, range balls, lunch and awards.

Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club will host a JAGS Tour stop Aug. 28-29.

For JAGS details: (562) 493-8416 or (714) 952-3316.

The Estancia High Eagle Golf Classic is June 25 at Costa Mesa Golf &

Country Club. The format is a four-person best-ball scramble. The cost is

$380 per foursome or $95 per player, which includes greens fees, cart,

dinner and prizes.

The event is one of the school’s most important fund-raisers of the

year. Details: (949) 951-5435.

Playing spots are available in the eighth annual C.J. Segerstrom &

Sons Golf Classic Monday at Mesa Verde Country Club. The event benefits

the Central Orange Coast YMCA, which serves Newport Beach, Costa Mesa,

Tustin, Santa Ana and Irvine.

Proceeds from the event go to help kids attend camps and participate

in the various community programs. This year’s goal is to raise $80,000,

said Ed Halverson, Chairman of the Board of Managers. Details: (949)

642-9990.

Nearly $165,000 was raised for Childhelp USA at last month’s golf

tournament at Pelican Hill Golf Club, where celebrity host Rich Saul, the

former All-Pro center for the Rams, was joined by former teammates Reggie

Doss, Lawrence McCutcheon, Merlin Olsen, Vince Ferragamo and Dennis

Harrah.

Mehdi Eftekari of the Four Seasons Hotel brought along some friends in

our group, including former U.S. Secret Service agent Lee Wagoner, who

knew the layout at Pelican Hill’s Ocean North course well because of his

years on former President Bush’s detail. Wagoner said Bush often played

at Pelican Hill.

Richard Dunn’s golf column appears every Thursday.