Buhach Colony golfer Ochoa advances to section Masters

Emie Ochoa dearly wanted a repeat trip for his Buhach Colony High School team to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Golf Championship.

That won’t happen, however, as the Thunder – which won the Central California Conference regular-season title for the first time – failed to earn one of three team berths at the Section Division I South Tournament on Monday at Rancho del Rey.

Ochoa, a senior and three-year starter, received a better-than-good consolation prize – an individual berth to the Masters. Last year’s Sun-Star Boys Golfer of the Year held his game together for a 7-over-par 79 to clinch one of six solo spots for the Masters next Monday at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton.

“It’s sad to say we won’t go to Masters as a team,” Ochoa said. “Nevertheless, I made it to the next round.”

Ochoa, who did not seriously take up the game until he was a freshman, was challenged – along with everyone else – by a one-club wind that complicated club selection and tried players’ patience.

Then again, Rancho is Buhach Colony’s home course, so the Thunder figured to have an advantage. Ochoa followed through with a scrappy short game to save strokes throughout the day. He negated a late double bogey with a birdie at the par-4 11th.

“I struggled with my accuracy and wasn’t too hot off the tee. I was happy with the way I played. The score was good,” Ochoa said. “I know I’ll have to be better than that next week. I have a lot of work to do.”

His 79 was 10 strokes better than his performance at the Division I South last year at Elkhorn in Stockton.

“My teammates carried me that day,” Ochoa said.

Buhach Colony totaled 425 strokes for fifth place in the nine-team field, nine swings behind third-place St. Mary’s. Turlock, the perennial CCC power, topped the Thunder by three strokes for fourth place but did not advance.

“We finally beat Turlock during the season and in the midseason tournament. They beat us at the CCC tournament, and they got us today,” said Buhach Colony coach Rich Cometta, the tournament director for the divisional. “We had some lofty goals this year. Winning the league title was big.”

This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Buhach Colony golfer Ochoa advances to section Masters."