Season ends for golfers

Middletown, Clear Lake fail to advance at sectionals

SANTA ROSA >> The high school golf season came to end for the Middletown and Clear Lake teams Monday at the North Coast Sectional Championships on the par72 Valley of the Moon Golf Club in Santa Rosa where the weather was anything but spring-like for the 140 assembled players representing 13 schools.

“It was 41 degrees when we teed off, it got up to as high as 56, it rained twice and there was a two-club wind,” said Kelseyville High School golf coach John Berry, the tournament director. “A tough day, but there was still some really good golf and some really good scores.”

The best round went to Windsor High School's Will Hoff with a 1-under-par 71. He edged out Miguel Chavez of Hercules (72) and Noah Schmitt of Berean Christian (73) for medalist honors.

With the low 18 golfers in the field advancing to next Monday's Tournament of Champions in Antioch, it took a round of 76 or better to earn one of those 18 berths.

Of the 10 Lake County golfers participating in Monday's competition — five from the Coastal Mountain Conference South runner-up Middletown squad and five from the CMC North-champion Clear Lake squad — Middletown's Luke Hoogendoorn had the best round with an 11-over-par 83 that featured one birdie. Three shots behind him was teammate Cooper Johnson at 86. Nathon Lopez led Clear Lake with 96 while teammate Miles Mattina had 106. Mattina also participated in the 2019 NCS Championships at Peacock Gap Golf Club in San Rafael, which is the last time the tournament was held. It was canceled last year and in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other Middletown scores had Bodhi Moore and Dom Williams both at 98 while Clear Lake's Peyton Ewing finished with 128 and Sofia Arredondo had 134.

Branson School of Ross won top team honors with a score of 311 (combined low four rounds out of five), Miramonte High School of Orinda was the runner-up with 319, and Berean Christian of Walnut Creek finished third, also with 319. Miramonte was awarded second because of the fifth-man tiebreaker.

Middletown finished 11th in the team standings with 365 but did beat out CMC South champion St. Helena, 12th with 376. Clear Lake was 13th with 464.