Winners sizzle on scorecard

The break in sweltering temperatures created a template for an enjoyable day of golf at the 10th annual Costa Mesa Community Golf Classic on Monday at the Costa Mesa Country Club.

But for the more competitive players in the 116-person field, the focus was all on breaking par on the Los Lagos course.

The winning foursome wound up 20-under par in the four-person scramble for which the two low scores for each hole were recorded. Players used the best drive of the group, after which each player played their own ball the rest of the hole.

The winning foursome, consisting of Stu Betty, Dave Elliott, Brad Graves and Ryan Wilson, accomplished its goal of eliminating bogeys, said Elliott, the associate vice president for university relations at Vanguard University.

“We had three pars, and the rest were all birdies,” said Elliott, a Laguna Niguel resident who also said his team didn’t forget to have fun.

Elliott said Betty, from Irvine, and Wilson, from Huntington Beach, were the group’s big hitters off the tee. But, Elliott said, everyone contributed to the string of sub-par scores that wound up edging the runner-up team by a single stroke.

The runners-up included current and future Estancia High golfers. Ryan Knapp, who will be a sophomore in the fall and Drew Bertoni, who will be a senior, will help the Eagles’ cause next season. Jake Knapp, still in junior high, was also on Monday’s second-place entry, as was Bob Knapp, Ryan and Jake’s father.

Ryan Knapp finished second last spring in the Golden West League individual tournament and advanced to the CIF Southern Regional.

The second-place foursome finished at 125.

The overall title, however, wasn’t the only prize up for grabs.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department foursome that included Jeff Janzen, Steve Savage, Tim Vasin and Bill Kenshaw, edged the top foursome from the Costa Mesa Police Department by three strokes to claim the Costa Mesa City Trophy.

Other winners included Jim Lawler (straightest drive), Jim Jones (men’s long drive), Estancia High girls’ golf standout Lina You (women’s long drive), Elliott and S.J. Cahn (putting contest), Paul Lundsford (closest to the pin on No. 4), Dave Boyer (closest to the pin on No. 11) and Fred Christian (closest to the pin on No. 15).

The event is the annual fundraiser for the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, chamber spokesperson Ed Fawcett said.

He said proceeds, including those from live and silent auctions, may exceed $25,000.