El Capitan’s Chang punches ticket to Section Masters

Sometimes, waiting can be the hardest part of golf.

El Capitan’s Wei Chang was one of the first to finish Monday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV Tournament, leaving him little idea where he stood.

The sophomore was having a stellar afternoon at Pheasant Run Golf Club, but a triple bogey on the par-5 18th hole took away some of the sheen. It left Chang with a 9-over-par 81and a long wait to see if that would be good enough to get him to next week’s Masters.

It was, with strokes to spare, as Chang held off Union Mine’s Nathan Jetton (84) to secure the third and final individual qualifying berth. Placer (395) cruised to the team title behind individual champion Clark Pietromonaco (73). Lincoln (441) held off Los Banos (470) for the second team bid to the Masters, making Wang the only local from the tournament to advance.

“I felt like it was a pretty good day,” Chang said. “I sank a long putt to get a birdie on 13, so I was feeling pretty good. No. 18 almost ruined it.

“I wasn’t very good with my irons and put two balls in the water. It’s not the first time I’ve done that either, but I’m still moving on, so it’s OK.”

Western Athletic Conference champion Los Banos hoped to advance but pushed through a rough afternoon on its home course.

Tigers coach Jeremy Siemiller guessed it was going to take a score in the 440s to move on. Despite more favorable temperatures than the low 90s it fought through at the WAC Championship the week before, Los Banos couldn’t match its 461 from that day. Hunter Wooldridge had a solid 91 and Jimmy Georgiou a 93. Brandon Valdez shot a team-low 88 but looked as if he was heading toward a better afternoon after an excellent front nine.

“The back nine kind of blew up,” Valdez said. “It just wasn’t very smart playing. When things start going like that, it’s pretty tough to just put the last hole behind you.”

El Capitan shot a 540, placing seventh and last in its first postseason appearance. Johnny Xiong shot a 107 and Tyler Dietz a 109.

“Wei advancing really means a lot for our program and school,” Gauchos coach Justin Turney said. “He’s been the backbone of the team, often keeping us competitive in tournaments with his low rounds. He’s a very quiet and humble kid, but he might show a little emotion in the van.”

Chris Vasquez had the best day of Livingston’s three individual qualifiers, shooting a 100. Pacheco’s Mark Lopez finished with a 107.

This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 2:32 PM with the headline "El Capitan’s Chang punches ticket to Section Masters."