Cardinals close in on crown

CLHS golfers post five-shot victory over Timberwolves

>> The Clear Lake Cardinals are closing in on the Coastal Mountain Conference North golfing championship after beating Fort Bragg 384-389 in a down-to-the-wire match Tuesday afternoon at Sea Ranch on the Sonoma County coast.

Clear Lake head coach Ted Mattila, who was marshaling the final group of golfers on the course, said he had no idea how close it was between the two teams until the scorecards were tallied following the conclusion of play on the par-72 Sea Ranch layout. The margin of victory was a little more than a stroke per golfer for the low four scorers for each team.

“They hung in there,” Mattila said of the Cardinals' narrow win. “It was kind of a gut check.”

Clear Lake's Nathon Lopez fired a round of 86 with one birdie to tie two Fort Bragg players for the low score of the day.

Clear Lake is 16-2 to Fort Bragg's 14-4 through the first six of eight North matches this season. The next match is a week from Wednesday at Adams Springs Golf Course on Cobb Mountain where a Clear Lake win would lock up the conference championship. While not technically a home match for Clear Lake, which practices at nearby Buckingham Golf and Country Club, Clear Lake's golfers certainly have a great deal more familiarity with Adams Springs than do the other North golfers.

“We didn't have our A game, but we did enough to get the win,” Mattila said of his team's five-stroke victory at Sea Ranch.

Clear Lake's Nathon Lopez fired a round of 86 with one birdie to tie two Fort Bragg players for the low score of the day. His teammate, Miles Mattina, finished with 95 for the fourth-best round of the afternoon. Also for the Cardinals, Peyton Ewing had 95 and Keara Alonso 111.

The North golfers timed their trip to Sea Ranch perfectly, according to Mattila, who said the wind was almost non-existent.

“It was overcast and mild,” he said. “We were very lucky. We hit the perfect day.”

Sea Ranch was battered by wind and rain Monday, according to Matilla, who said another storm is supposed to move through Wednesday.

“There's a 99-percent chance of rain (Wednesday),” he added.

Although their scores didn't count toward the team total Tuesday, Jadan Martinez finished with 127 and Sophie Arredondo had 130 for the Cardinals.