By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Last year, Palisades High golfer Ray Yang was so close to the state finals he could taste it. He was even par through 16 holes but triple-bogeyed the 17th and double-bogeyed the 18th.
This time, he was determined not to falter and eight days after winning his first City individual title the junior drained a 25-foot putt in a playoff to book one of the last two spots in yesterday’s state championships at San Gabriel Country Club.
Photo: Steve Galluzzo
Yang carded an even-par 72 at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena – five strokes better than his 77 there last year and equal to his score at the City finals at Griffith Park’s Wilson Course – to tie for eighth place with Edward Wu of Arcadia at the Southern California Regionals.
Runner-up Palisades and champion Granada Hills represented the City Section, but neither was among the three teams to advanced to the state finals, where Yang was grouped with Joey Burlison of Palma and George McNeeley of Carmel.
Palisades finished ninth with a score of 406 and Granada Hills was 10th with a total of 412.
Grant Ebner shot an 81, Ethan Rautbort and Will Holbrow shot 83s, Jason Simon shot an 87 and Jeff Han shot an 89 to round out the scoring for the Golfin’ Dolphins. Westlake shot 366 to win the regional title.
Yang was 3-under on the front nine with birdies at the second, eighth and ninth holes. He added a birdie at the 15th, a 528-yard par 5, before closing his round with three straight bogeys.
Only 10 players finished in red numbers, with Palm Desert’s Charlie Reiter earning medalist honors at 5-under.
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