Santa Ana comes up stroke shy

COSTA MESA — Santa Ana Country Club still has never won a Jones Cup.

But the team has rarely come closer than on Thursday at Mesa Verde Country Club.

Santa Ana Country Club shot seven-under 135 in the two best-ball format, finishing second to the hosts by a single stroke. Newport Beach Country Club and Big Canyon Country Club finished third and fourth, respectively.

Santa Ana head club professional Geoff Cochrane and Rick Herrera, the mens’ and senior club champion, both had birdie-putt attempts on the 18th hole to tie Mesa Verde at eight-under. But both attempts went wide right.

“I’m bitterly disappointed,” said Santa Ana Country Club Director of Golf Mike Reehl.

Reehl, who had three of his team’s eight birdies, has been trying to get Santa Ana over the hump. A Corona del Mar High product, Reehl became head pro at Santa Ana Country Club in 1985.

“I’m totally bummed, and that’s the truth,” Reehl said. “We played our hearts out today.”

Women’s club champion Nicole Ronald also had three birdies. Cochrane and men’s amateur Bruce Bearer had one each.

Although Herrera had no birdies, his round of 74 was the second-lowest amateur round among the five Jones Cup teams. As such, he earns the second of two berths to the Mercedes-Benz Championship qualifying tournament, to be held Nov. 2-5 at Barton Creek in Austin, Texas.

The Mercedes-Benz Championship is Jan. 1-7 at Kapalua, Hawaii.

“I’m surprised, but I really played hard today and played like it meant something,” Herrera said. “I knew a score in the low or mid-70s might have a chance. I stayed in there — that’s kind of my game.”

Herrera was in his first Jones Cup. He won men’s and senior club championships nine years ago, before the creation of the Jones Cup.

“I’ve kind of been laying in the weeds the last few years,” he said.

Santa Ana Country Club drives found the fairway for much of the day. The team was in first or second place the whole way.

Reehl started the day off driving the ball well. He birdied three of the first six holes.

Ronald added a birdie at No. 2, getting her second shot just over the left sand trap and onto the green. With the four birdies, Santa Ana sat at four-under par after six holes.

Although the team went five straight holes without a birdie, four-under was good enough for the lead as Santa Ana, the last group to tee off, made the turn onto the back nine.

Mesa Verde quickly jumped to six-under, but so did Santa Ana. Cochrane and Ronald both birdied the par-five 11th hole which, at 585 yards off the blue tees, is the longest hole on the course.

Ronald also rolled home a 40-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole. The putt, which started left but curved back right into the hole, took Santa Ana to seven-under.

“I guess I was a good teammate,” she said. “I fell apart on some of the holes, but it was fun. It was just a joy to be out here.”

Santa Ana stayed at seven-under until the par-three, 16th hole, when four of five tee shots missed the green and only Bearer could save par.

“Pars aren’t so bad in this format,” Bearer said. “If we all would’ve just parred that hole, we would have been tied.”

The bogey for the hole was Santa Ana’s first of the day. It dropped the team back to six-under, two shots behind Mesa Verde, which had already finished its round.

“You’ve got to make putts,” Cochrane said. “[Hole] 16 just sent us in the wrong direction.”

Santa Ana bounced back when Bearer made an eight-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to move the team within one.

“That was huge, and we really needed that,” Bearer said. “It was critical for us to try to tie it on 18.”

However, two tee shots on the 18th hole found a left-side bunker and the team couldn’t get the birdie putts and chips to fall.

Still, it was an improvement for Santa Ana, which finished last at the Jones Cup in 2005 in the first year of the current five-player format.

“We got out of the cellar, which is a good start,” Cochrane said.

Cochrane, who was playing in his fourth straight Jones Cup, added that he really enjoys the event.

“It’s just a great chance to come out here with the members and represent the club,” Cochrane said. “That’s what makes it really fun, that we’re all representing our clubs.”