Golf: Historic event tees off today

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - Scott Osterhout of Huntington Beach will try to become

the first golfer in five years and only the third in the event’s 29-year

history to win back-to-back Costa Mesa City Championships today and

Sunday at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club.

Costa Mesa’s Bryan Saltus, now playing professionally on the Canadian

Tour, won titles in 1995-96 and former Corona del Mar High standout John

Wardrup captured championships in 1990-91, the event’s only two repeat

winners.

While early tee times are normally reserved for defending champions

when the greens are smoother, Osterhout reportedly turned in his

registration form late and won’t tee off today until 1:20 p.m. in the second-to-last group.

In addition, the 320 registered amateur players will mark the largest

turnout in event history, Costa Mesa assistant pro Andy Crinella said.

“The golf course is in great shape and we get a lot of pretty big

amateur players,” said Crinella, referring to players like Fountain

Valley’s Ken Wertzberger, who played in last year’s U.S. Amateur and U.S.

Mid-Amateur.

Jeff Montoya of Costa Mesa, among the top local amateurs teeing it up

today, missed a playoff by one stroke last year, as Osterhout and Eric

Wang of UC Irvine finished in a deadlock at 142 after 36 holes and played

a three-hole playoff (won by Osterhout with three straight pars).

Costa Mesa residents Dave Sargeant and Scott Kuhns finished in the top

10 last year and generally play well on their home course in the event

formerly known as the Will Jordan Classic, named after the city’s former

mayor.

The Costa Mesa City Championships, which has been played every year by

its inaugural winner of 1973, Jim George (Estancia High), features six

flights, including a senior division and an initial women’s division, and

$10,000 in prizes.

The lowest handicap index for the past year is used and a $175 entry

fee is charged, which includes greens fees for both days, tee prizes,

awards and a barbecue both days.

“It’ll be interesting,” Crinella said of the field. “The greens have

really been shaved down. We’ve had some good weather and the course is in

good shape. The greens could be the fastest they’ll ever be, so there

could be some interesting scores on the leaderboard. Even though the

course is short, it’ll be good.”

In this weekend’s action, both the Los Lagos and Mesa Linda courses

will be used. There is no admission for spectators.

The Los Lagos course checks in at 6,542 yards from the championship

tees (par 72), while Mesa Linda is listed at 5,551 yards (par 70) from

the back.

Among the tournament’s alumni are Mark O’Meara and Scott Simpson, both

of whom won major championships in their pro careers.

In 1979, O’Meara, then of Mission Viejo, won the U.S. Amateur

Championship in Cleveland, Ohio, defeating John Cook in the final, 8 and

7, one week before arriving in Costa Mesa.

The late Joe Costello, who founded the popular city championships in

1973 when he was president of the Costa Mesa men’s club, considered

O’Meara’s victory one of the tournament’s greatest moments, because he

drove all the way from Cleveland to Costa Mesa to play.

The ’79 event was highlighted by O’Meara’s win over Brad Greer in a

two-hole playoff. Shortly thereafter, O’Meara turned pro. In 1998, he won

the Masters and British Open.

Five years earlier, in the second Costa Mesa City Championship,

then-USC standout Simpson captured the Costa Mesa title, defeating his

father, Joe, on the 18th hole with a 45-yard wedge shot to within four

feet of the flag.

Simpson, who sank the four-footer to win that year, won the 1987 U.S.

Open.

Saltus (Newport Harbor High) could be the next former Costa Mesa city

champion to make his stamp in pro golf.

This summer, Saltus qualified for the Canadian Tour, finishing tied

for fifth out of 140 players in a qualifier at Kamloops, British

Columbia.

Saltus, 30, won 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.