Patton wins So Cal crown; Vaqueros advance to State Finals

Brett Patton posted two rounds in the 60s on Monday to capture the Southern Cal individual men's golf championship at Olivas Links in Ventura.

Patton shot 68 and 69 for a 36-hole total of 7-under 137. He won the WSC title last week and has shot four straight rounds under par for an eye-opening total of 11-under par.

"Brett is an extremely talented player and he's on a roll right now," said Vaquero coach Chuck Melendez. "He's being recruited by Long Beach State and UCSB. A lot of hard work is coming to fruition."

Teammate Manny Manzone was also under par, shooting 4-under 140 (71-69) and winning a card-off for fifth place. SBCC took second in the eight-team field at 723. The Vaqueros had the best second-round score at 2-under 358.

WSC champion Canyons blazed to a 14-under 346 in the first round and took the title at 710. College of the Desert (725) and Riverside (733) also advanced to the State Championships on Monday, May 11 at Kings River CC in Kingsburg, which is 22 miles southeast of Fresno.

Jake Ledbetter added a 1-over 145 (73-72) and Joakim Flinck shot 150 for the Vaqueros.

"It was a tremendous performance, I'm really proud of these guys," said Melendez. "We were grinding all day. We were tied for the final qualifying spot after one round and we out there and beat everyone in the second round."

Southern Cal Championships
At par-72 Olivas Links
 Team (top 4 qualify for State) -- 1, Canyons 346-364--710. 2, SBCC 365-358--723. 3, Desert 356-369--725. 4, Riverside 366-367--733. 5 (tie), Palomar 379-363--742, Santiago Canyon 364-378--742. 7, Orange Coast 365-392--757. 8, Ventura 379-388--767.
 Medalist – 1, Brett Patton, SBCC, 68-69--137 (7 under).
 SBCC scores – 1, Patton 68-69--137. 5, Manny Manzone 71-69--140 (2 under), Jake Ledbetter 73-72-145, Joakim Flinck 78-72—150, Alec Constantinides 78-76—154, Jaren McCartney 75-87--162.