Estancia wins close match over Sailors

SANTA ANA ? The outcome was typical for both teams.

The Estancia High boys’ golf team had taken down another school larger than itself and Newport Harbor lost by a small margin once again.

Estancia (5-4, 1-1 in the Golden West League) won the nonleague match at Newport Harbor’s home course, Santa Ana Country Club, 197-203, Wednesday.

Marcus Sostak and Ryan Knapp were co-medalists for Estancia, each shooting one-over-par 37.

Sostak said putting, which included sinking a 25-footer downhill on No. 4, was the key to his low score.

“I played all right, but I putted well,” Sostak said. “You have to have the confidence to know you will make the putt. It’s key to set yourself up with uphill putts.”

Knapp said driving is usually his strength, but on Wednesday he was able to turn bad situations into small scores.

“I didn’t hit the ball well, but I scrambled well,” Knapp said. “I was getting up and down really well. I’m driving 280 [feet]. Putting is my second best [skill]. I’m getting better as the year goes on. The key to driving well is picking a spot on the fairway and know you will hit it there.”

Estancia, one of the smaller schools in Orange County with a boys’ golf team, is accustomed to taking on schools the size of Newport Harbor, which defeated Estancia on March 7.

Austin Serr shot a 40 for the Eagles. Garrett McMasters and John Rausch shot a 41 and 42, respectively.

“We’re starting to play good,” Estancia Coach Art Perry said. “We hope to peak in a month in time for the playoffs. We have good camaraderie, good team unity. They practice every weekend on their own time. They really help each other out.”

The Sailors (6-10, 3-2 in the Sea View League) have lost by one stroke once and two strokes four times this season.

“We’re not quite doing as well as we could, we’re underachieving,” Newport Harbor Coach Scott Tarnow said. “We are giving away matches on silly errors. We have to use better course management. We have to know when to go for it and know when to lay up.

“We’ve got some young guys without varsity experience. Team golf is different than playing by yourself. We have to learn when to go for it and when not to make those 6 to 10s.”

Chase Behr led Newport Harbor, shooting a 39. Spencer Quinn shot a 40 and Paul Neff and Bryce Greely each shot a 41. The Sailors’ top two golfers shot a combined eight strokes above their average.

“For some reason we don’t get up for nonleague matches,” Tarnow said. “It was a good competitive match. We have the potential. Whether we realize that is yet to be seen.”

Newport Harbor will have to regroup today for its fourth match in four days against Laguna Hills at Laguna Woods at 2:30 p.m. The league match is crucial to the Sailors’ chances of qualifying for the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

“It’s a big league match against Laguna Hills. We try to schedule tough,” Tarnow said. “You need to do well in league to get to CIF. We already beat Foothill, which is No. 1 or 2 in Orange County, on Monday.

“Every year, I schedule like this. I want to see if it will help us. Every team is either a first- or second-place team.”

Estancia will face some of the top competition in the country starting April 11. That’s the opening day of the five-day, 100-team Palmetto High School Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

“That’s going to get us to peak at the right time,” Perry said of the tournament, which concludes two weeks before the Golden West League tournament. DOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOTNewport Harbor’s Chase Behr hits out of the bunker at Santa Ana Country Club during the Sailors’ match against Estancia.dpt-golf30.IMG0GraphicInfoBD1PF15V20060330BD1PF15VNo Captiondpt-golf30.IMGGraphicInfoBD1PF15T20060330BD1PF15TNo Captiondpt.30-golf-1-CPhotoInfoCS1PF0JR20060330iwx6y5knDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Estancia High golfer Greg Les chips onto the green at the fourth hole at Santa Ana Country Club on Wednesday. The Eagles defeated Newport Harbor, 197-203. dpt.30-golf-2-CPhotoInfoCS1PF0L720060330iwx6z8knDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Estancia High golfer Greg Les chips onto the green at the fourth hole at Santa Ana Country Club on Wednesday. The Eagles defeated Newport Harbor, 197-203.