Horn calms down on shot

NEWPORT BEACH — Kendall Horn stood on the edge of the 16-story Marriott Hotel and Spa’s roof and tried not to look down.

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She pretended she was at the driving range like she practiced as she readied for her two attempts in the Toshiba Classic’s third annual “Shot from the Top.” But then she noticed her dad waving from down below. Horn smiled, relaxed and then hit a shot within 17 feet of the pin on the Newport Beach Country Club’s third hole down below.

Horn’s distance was the third best of the 24 high school golfers competing, a boy and a girl from each of 12 Orange County high school golf teams.

Horn teamed with fellow Sailor Justin Morehead, who was within 21 feet of the pin. The pair picked up a total of 50 points, 30 for Horn and 20 for Morehead, for their team, which included Toshiba Classic defending champion Brad Bryant, who was within 11 feet of the pin, and Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Dwyre. The two had the second-best combined score of any of the high school duos competing.

The foursome finished with a score of 90, good enough for fifth place, earning Newport Harbor 12 Toshiba notebook computers. Trabuco Hills won the competition. Corona del Mar, Estancia and Costa Mesa won 10 laptops each.

“I was hoping to just get it off the roof,” Horn said. “I don’t like heights at all. I wasn’t nervous at all until I got on the roof. That’s just like me, I don’t get nervous until right before a match starts.”

Horn said she was helped by figuring the 16-story drop would carry the ball 30-40 yards, so with the pin 118 yards away she was looking at a 80 to 90-yard shot. She took a half swing with a nine-iron.

“I think it’s great for our school,” Horn said.

Morehead followed Horn and said his teammate’s success relaxed him.

“It really took the pressure off me,” Morehead said.

Morehead said he took the opposite approach of Horn, choosing not to practice for the shot or even think about it beforehand.

“I was watching the people on the tennis courts [nearby]. I wanted to tell them to watch out,” Morehead joked.

Morehead added that his first shot was more to get a feel for the distance, his second was one of the top shots of the day for high school players.

Estancia and Corona del Mar tied for second among Newport-Mesa schools. David Su and Jessica Milner hit to within 32 and 30 feet of the pin, respectively for Corona del Mar.

“At first I was a little nervous,” Milner said. “It’s a great opportunity to experience. Once I got up there all my nerves went away. It’s not that hard, it just takes some getting used to.”

While Milner said she was not afraid of heights, Su was.

“I looked down to measure, it was pretty scary,” Su said. “It’s so far down. I wish I could have gone later so I could have watched others do it.”

Bridget Gleason got within 50 feet of the pin, while Ryan Knapp said he pulled his shot.

“I wasn’t nervous I was more excited,” Knapp said. “How often do you get to hit shots from the top of a roof?”

Gleason said she was glad her shot did not hook left like she’s been doing of late.

“It was a great experience,” Gleason said. “It’s not something you do everyday.”

Shelby Ferris and Garrick Vohs participated for Costa Mesa. Vohs had the best shot on his team, which included Champions Tour pro Craig Stadler. Vohs, who shot to within 22 feet of the pin, also accounted for half of his team’s points with 20.

“You just have to decide how far down it is, it seemed pretty close,” said Vohs who used a lob wedge. “The first shot I eased. The second I hit harder. I wish I had another shot.”

For video of the third annual Shot from the Top go to https://www.dailypilot.com/video/