Saddleback dominates at OEC Finals

The Saddleback men's golf team captured the Orange Empire Conference championship on Monday at Temecula Creek Golf Club in Temecula.  The Bobcats were red hot, shooting under par in each round.

Saddleback opened the day with the second best round in program history when it shot -8 as a team (352).  It was good enough to finish 11 shots in front of rival Cypress College heading into the afternoon round.

Zachary Stout (67), Declan Lane (70) and Clayton Smith (71) all shot under par in the round with both Denis Watson and Arthur Hess shooting even par.    Stout's round of 67 included one eagle and three birdies as he posted a bogey-free round. 

Saddleback was also solid in round two, shooting -1 (359) to finish one shot back of Mt. San Antonio College.  The Bobcats had under-par rounds from Watson (70) and Lane (71) while Hess and Patrick Jaksch both shot even par rounds of 72. 

Stout and Lane both finished -3 at the 36-hole event to finish third in medalist play.  College of the Desert's John Kim had the round of the season when he shot -10 (62) in the second round on Monday.  Kim finished as the medalist after shooting -12 over two rounds.

Saddleback's two-round total of -9 (711) was 19 shots better than Cypress (730) and 22 shots in front of both Mt. San Antonio and Desert (733).  The Bobcats finished 33-3 in OEC Neutral Tournament play to take home the overall Orange Empire Conference championship.

"I'm really proud of the way the guys played," head coach Wayne Westling said.  "Hopefully they can use this performance as a confidence builder heading into regional play."

Westling was named the Orange Empire Conference Coach-of-the-Year following the rounds on Monday. 

Saddleback will compete again at the Southern California Regional Tournament at Olivas Links Golf Course on May 9 in Ventura.

NOTES: Saddleback's round of -8 tied the second best round in program history along with a 1999 squad that shot -8 at Costa Mesa Country Club (par 70).  The best round in program history was -11 at Tijeras Creek in 2002.    

OEC FINALS