A toast to Reehl

BRYCE ALDERTON

Surprise!

A message left by Santa Ana Country Club head golf professional

Geoff Cochrane on one of the phones around here found its way to me

Thursday with explicit instructions: “He doesn’t know I’m doing this,

but I want to put something in the paper.”

Cochrane gave the good news, that Santa Ana’s Director of Golf,

Mike Reehl, was honored Monday night with the 2003 Southern

California PGA Metropolitan Chapter’s Golf Professional of the Year

award.

In line with Reehl’s humble demeanor -- he tends to shy away from

the spotlight -- the manner in which Cochrane relayed the news

couldn’t have been more appropriate.

Sorry Mike, but it’s your day for some ink.

What an honor for a golf fixture in this community.

Reehl was a sophomore on Corona del Mar High’s boys golf team that

won a CIF Southern Section team championship in 1967 and was No. 1

his final two seasons. He was the individual state champion in 1970

while at Orange Coast College and later earned All-American status at

Long Beach State before competing on mini-tours.

He began as a bag boy at Santa Ana in 1968 and became head

professional in 1985, taking over for his mentor, Gerald Hall.

Earlier this year Cochrane took over for Reehl as the club’s head

pro.

The award is the highest honor a PGA pro can receive. It

recognizes level of service to the pro’s section and the association,

leadership, image and ability to inspire fellow professionals,

promotion of golf and the club’s performance. Santa Ana will turn 102

on Sept. 22 and is the oldest private club in Orange County. As part

of its 100-year celebration in 2001, the club featured a remodeled

card room, terrace room, men’s locker room, trophy case and hallway.

Reehl deserves this honor.

In my short time as a golf writer, Reehl has always showed

professionalism to the fullest and judging by this award, others in

the golf community recognized that too.

So the secret is out Geoff. That’s how it can work around here.

Congratulations Mike.