Marcus Sostak

Steve Virgen

When it came to battling Marcus Sostak for the Golden West League

boys golf championship, the rest of the field didn’t really stand a

chance.

While he was the favorite to become the Golden West League

champion, there was an extra advantage few knew about. Sostak, an

Estancia High sophomore, lives across the street from Costa Mesa Golf

& Country Club, where he shot a 4-under-par 66 two straight days to

win the league title last week.

For the past six months, Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club’s Mesa

Linda and Los Lagos courses have been like Sostak’s back yard, or

second home. Sostak increased his hours of training in the two weeks

leading up to the league finals. Instead of practicing two hours a

day, six days a week, he was seen at the golf course five hours a

day.

When his teammates went home after the scheduled end of practice,

Sostak stayed a bit longer.

“I live right across the street,” Sostak said of his extra work.

“I just have to walk on over to get home or walk across the street to

get to the Costa Mesa golf course.”

Sostak said he usually practices on the Los Lagos course, but he

is also quite familiar with the Mesa Linda course. He displayed his

mastery of Mesa Linda with five birdies on his way to winning the

title May 4. The day before, he was just as consistent, shooting 66

on Mesa Linda.

Estancia Coach Art Perry, in his 19th season, believes Sostak’s

two-day total (132) is the best score for an Estancia golfer in a

league tournament.

“[Early on the first day] he played conservatively,” Perry said.

“Once he knew he had a big lead, he started to be more aggressive. He

plays that course better than anybody. It’s like his home away from

home.”

Sostak and his mother, Melanie Rosa, moved from their home near

Wallace Street on the Westside to escape the turbulence there.

Another main reason they moved was so Sostak could be near his

school’s home golf course.

“It wasn’t a very good neighborhood,” Sostak said of his former

residence. “My mom read in the newspaper that someone was stabbed on

Wallace and she decided she didn’t want that to happen to me, so we

moved.”

Moving near Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club also benefited Sostak

in his favorite sport. While he had the home-course advantage last

week, it was also evident he was a cut above the rest in regard to

talent.

“He has tremendous distance; he hits the ball off the tee so much

farther than anyone else,” Perry said. “He’s just a real gifted

athlete. He can do so many things well. He can probably excel in any

sport. He has great hand-to-eye coordination. He’s just a tremendous

athlete.”

Because Sostak has talent and a relentless work ethic, Perry sees

great potential for the Estancia sophomore.

“He has the potential to be an NCAA Division I player,” Perry

said. “He’s what most coaches are looking for: great distance with

the solid short game. I think he has a great shot to get there.”

As for short-term goals, Sostak wants to reach the state

championships. He was excited to accomplish the first goal he

established before the season, the league individual title. He also

enjoyed helping lead his team to the Golden West League crown,

another of his preseason goals.

Sostak has been trying to achieve new goals each year, ever since

he started playing golf when he was 11. His father, Mark, would take

him to the golf course.

“I liked golf right from the start,” Sostak said. “It was just fun

to me. I played for two weeks straight and kept on going. When I was

11, I also played in a junior tournament in Irvine and I won it.”