Brown: 74 for 1st round at state after PC ties for PCAC title

FALLBROOK (4-30-2018) / BAKERSFIELD 5-06-2018) (GOLETA 5-14-2018) -- Zac Brown's birdie on the 18th hole at Sandpiper Golf Course in Goleta highlighted his 74 score in the morning round on Monday that put him in ninth place overall halfway through the CCCAA State Men's Golf Championships.

But Brown's afternoon round left him out of the running with a 161 score for 36 holes.

Pacific Coast Athletic Conference play had concluded at the two-round conference tournament on Monday, April 30, at The Golf Club of California in Fallbrook as Palomar enjoyed a profitable day.

Coach Mark Halda's Comets and College of the Desert tied for the PCAC title, which is determined by season-long play, with identical 39-9 records as both teams advanced to the Southern California Regional Championships played on Monday, May 6, at Bakersfield Country Club. And Palomar's Jacob Montes (Golfer of the Year) and Khyoshiro Azumada (Medalist in the PCAC finals) took home the top individual honors.

At Bakersfield, the Comets shot their worst round of the year, a 403 in the morning, shot a 385 in the afternoon and finished the day qualifying only one golfer, Brown, who carded a 78 in the morning and a 75 in the afternoon for a 153 total, for the CCCAA State Tournament. Palomar finished 11 strokes in the Southern Cal finals from qualifying for the state tournament as a team.

"The second-round score (at Bakersfield) was more indicative of how we play, although still not to our season average," Halda said.

The conference tournament is played with morning and afternoon rounds each counting as one match. The Roadrunners won the morning round with a 382 score and a 4-0 win-loss record, followed by the Comets (386, 3-1), Mt. San Jacinto (388, 2-2), El Camino College (423, 1-3) and Chuamaca, (no score, 0-4). Mt. San Jacinto won the afternoon round with a 383 score and a 4-0 win-loss record, followed by Palomar (384, 3-1), COD (388, 2-2), El Camino (436, 1-3) and Cuyamaca (no score, 0-4).

"If we shoot one shot better in the second round, we win the conference championship outright, something we could have and should have done," Halda said.

Montes, Azumada, Brown (76.5 season average) and Alex Rhee (77.0 season average) gave the Comets four of 10 spots on the all-conference first team.

Mt. San Jacinto finished third in the conference with a 30-18 record, followed by El Camino in fourth place at 9-39 and Cuyamaca in fifth place at 3-45.

In matches over the course of the season leading up to the conference tournament, Palomar won with a 365 score and 4-0 record at El Dorado Golf Club in Long Beach (Par 72) on March 26; with a 396 score and 4-0 record at Pala Mesa GC in Fallbrook (Par 72) on April 4; with a a 379 score and 4-0 record at The S Club in Rancho Mirage (Par 72) on April 9; with a 377 score and 4-0 record at Suycuan GC in El Cajon (Par 72) on April 11; and with a 375 score and 4-0 record at Sun Lakes CC in Banning (Par 72) on April 16.

COD won with a 369 score and 4-0 record at Torrey Pines North (Par 72) on March 12, with the Comets placing second with a 374 score and 3-1 record; with a 380 score and 4-0 record at St. Mark GC in San Marcos (Par 71) on March 28, with Palomar second with a 377 score and 3-1 record; and with a 377 score and a 4-0 record at on April 18 at Rancho California Golf Club in Temecula (Par 72), with Palomar second with a 381 score and 1-3 record.

Mt. San Jacinto won with 386 score and 4-0 record at Morongo GC at Tukwet Canyon (Par 72) on March 19, with Palomar third with a 397 score and 2-2 record