LEADING WAY TO CIF CROWN?
Top-flight junior golfer Williams appreciates San Pasqual ’mates
The scores are eye popping — 30 at Boulder Oaks, 32 at Mt. Woodson and Bernardo Heights, 33 at St. Mark, 34 at The Vineyard.
And while all that is impressive and has led to a commitment at college power Arizona State, coaches and teammates say Connor Williams’ best attribute on the San Pasqual High golf team is his leadership.
“Connor is doing the Junior Golf thing, but he has also played a full slate of matches for us,” said San Pasqual coach Vincent Silva. “We had to beat Ramona twice to win our league championship, and Connor was there, led us to the title. Then he went to a junior event.
“He rolled an ankle there, and we thought he’d choose to sit out our league tournament. But he was a full go.
“His scores tell you how a good a player he is. What people don’t see is how he mentors the other players on our team. He doesn’t come out, shoot his round, and take off. He talks to our guys, helps them with clubs, strategies, how to attack certain holes or lies.”
Jason Hernandez has played nearly every San Pasqual match with Williams.
He said the experience has been invaluable.
“Obviously, Connor is a great player,” Hernandez said. “So I watch and learn. He has his own match to play, but he helps all the guys.
“We know he has opportunities to play other than high school, so we’re extremely grateful he chooses to play with us.”
Former Escondido High golf coach Steve Bridges runs the postseason events for the CIF. He has seen Williams play a number of times.
“He’s the real deal,” Bridges said.
“No doubt he’s one of the top players around. He’s going to be right there with Luke Potter in our championships. And eventually, they’ll play together at Arizona State. To me, though, the thing that stands out about Williams is that he’s there with his high school teammates every day. He’s a leader. He makes other guys on his team better.”
Williams and the Eagles won the Valley League championship and now will tackle the big boys Monday and Wednesday in the CIF Championships at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, a par-72, 7,172-yard, 18hole layout that is rated of one the Top 100 Resort courses in America.
As a team, San Pasqual ranks behind Torrey Pines, Classical Academy, Coronado, Cathedral Catholic and Pacific Ridge.
As an individual, Williams ranks behind only Potter of Classical Academy.
Potter, a senior, who is also committed to Arizona State, has played 11 nine-hole high school events this season and has a differential of minus-2.01.
Williams, a junior, has played in 22 nine-hole prep
matches and has a differential of minus-1.41.
Dylan Oyama of Pacific Ridge, who has played in 15 nine-hole events, is third at minus-0.62.
The top 28 players and ties — not on a team — advance to the Southern California Championships at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena, a course in the shadow of the Rose Bowl.
The State Championship is June 1 at San Gabriel Country Club.
Of the Top 25 golfers in next week’s championships, no one has played as many high school matches as Williams.
The slender 6-foot-3 Williams has played all over the country — North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Minnesota, Kentucky and Arizona.
“I’ve played on some great courses,” he said. “I’ve played on different grasses, in the wind, in the humidity. I’ve played on PGA Tour courses, and it all has been a great learning experience because eventually I’d like to play on the Tour. I’ve played Torrey Pines a number of times. It’s really special.
“But I’m most comfortable playing with the guys at San Pasqual. We have a great group,
great team chemistry. We all want to be as good as we can be, and if I can help my teammates, pass along what I’ve learned, I’m going to do it.
“Not every round is great. Not every shot is great. But you can learn a lot from failure.”
As his scores indicate, failure hasn’t been an option too often.
He points to a round of 64 at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon — a par-72, 7,442-yard layout in Cabazon — in December as one of his best.
“I always try and have a positive approach,” said Williams, who played basketball and baseball as a kid before taking golf serious at age 12, playing against top competition.
“You have to have a passion for the game. If not, then why play?”
While the summer junior circuit looms, the focus the next few weeks will be on high school golf as the golfers attack the Omni La Costa Resort course.
“It’s one of the toughest we’ll play,” Williams said. “It’s long and it can get windy. There is a lot of trouble out there, so you have to have a plan.”