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Seeger shines for Warriors at state golf tourney
Westlake finished in third place during last week's CIF/ CGA Boys Golf Championship at Poppy Hills. The Warriors posted a team total of 388 at the state tournament, which pitted the top six high school squads from Northern and Southern California in a one-day, winner-take-all finale. La Costa Canyon won the state title with a 381. Jesuit of Carmichael finished second at 386. "The whole tournament was a real treat," Warrior head coach Dave Costley said. "It was a beautiful course, and the Northern California Golf Association put on a really nice event. "We were happy to be there, but, unfortunately, our top three players didn't play particularly well, and we ended up finishing third. But, hey, that's golf."
Colby and Hagy both fired 9over-par 81s on the afternoon, while Edwards posted an 82. While the talented trio was still out on the course, Westlake's fourth and fifth golfers, Cole Seeger and Jake Katz, finished with a pair of solid scores—a 2under 70 for Seeger and a 2-over 74 for Katz—leading Costley to believe the state title was Westlake's for the taking. "When those two (Katz and Seeger) checked in with a combined even par," Costley said, "I thought, 'Oh, man, we have a great chance to win this.'" The Warriors' sixth golfer, Chris Doyle, shot a 90 and did not qualify for the final team score. According to the coach, Doyle had been diagnosed with mononucleosis just before the match but insisted on playing. "Had I known beforehand he wouldn't have played," Costley said. "We had a couple of alternates with us. But as it turned out, it didn't make any difference. . . . "It just wasn't fair to him. When he was done, he was thrashed. It's a huge walk." Seeger's round was the story for Westlake. The UC Davis-bound senior tied two others for first place through 18 holes, Michael Weaver of Clovis West and Kevin Dougherty of Vista Murrieta. Despite fast greens and perilous trees throughout the course, Seeger logged six birdies. "I was hitting fairways and hitting greens, just giving myself a chance," Seeger said. "It wasn't stressful or anything." Because Seeger was one of the first competitors to complete his round, he had to wait nearly three hours for the others to finish before finding out if he had a shot at medalist honors and the title of state champ. "I wasn't really thinking of going back out there at all," Seeger said. "I went and got a burger and a sandwich and just ate a ton. If I would've thought about a playoff, I may have rethunk what I should have eaten." With his belly full, Seeger grabbed his bag and marched back out to the par-5 18th hole for a three-man playoff with Weaver and Dougherty. Following a sub-par drive and chunky second shot, Seeger got to within 18 feet of the hole by blasting a near-perfect 6-iron. With a birdie putt to win the title outright, Seeger stepped up and took his shot at glory. "It was my most meaningful putt, but I wasn't nervous," he said. "I was more excited. "It entered my mind that this putt was for the state championship, but at the same time, I just picked out a line and just tried to hit the line." Seeger pushed his birdie putt just past the hole, missing by the slimmest of margins. A short 3 1/2-foot par attempt could've sent Seeger to another playoff hole against Dougherty, but he missed that as well. "I just pulled it left, and that hurt," said Seeger, who ended up third overall. "It's always a learning experience." Westlake has six seniors on its roster—Kevin Santos, Brian Johnsen, Seeger, Colby, Edwards and Hagy—and all expect to play golf in college. |
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