Costa Mesan claims crown

The odds were with the locals, and the hometown crew delivered a

championship.

Out of 23 Newport-Mesa area competitors, the chances appeared good

at least one local would win their age division at the 16th annual

Costa Mesa junior golf championships.

That person was Costa Mesa resident Jacob Knapp, who shot a

2-over-par 37 through nine holes and edged his nearest competitor in

a six-hole card-off to clinch the boys 11-and-under age division

Tuesday on Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club’s Mesa Linda course.

The older age divisions played the full 18 holes.

Newport Harbor High junior-to-be Justin Morehead finished second

in his division, while Costa Mesa residents Lauren Draganza and

Ashley Peters both finished third, and Newport Coast’s Karine Shaw

earned fifth, all in their respective divisions, to round out the top

Newport-Mesa competitors.

Knapp, playing the back nine holes of the Mesa Linda course,

carded three bogeys and one birdie, sinking a 15-foot putt on hole

No. 18.

Knapp’s older brother Ryan, who placed fourth by four shots last

year in boys 12-13, was scheduled in the tournament but competed in

an American Junior Golf Association tournament in Lompoc. Jacob Knapp

finished sixth last year in the boys 11-and-under division.

In the boys 16-17 division, Morehead fell to the hot shooting of

Irvine resident Drew Exon. Morehead, a member of the Newport Harbor

golf team, shot a 3-under 67 for second.

Exon eagled three straight holes and tallied a 6-under 64 to edge

Morehead.

“What [Exon] did is unbelievable,” said C.J. Nelson, a field

representative for the PGA assigned to Tuesday’s event. “I’ve never

heard of someone getting three eagles in a row and I’ve been out here

for three years.”

Exon’s eagles included the par-5, 475-yard No. 14, the par-4,

268-yard No. 15 and the par-4, 278-yard No. 16. He was 6-under for

the back nine and drove the green on holes 15 and 16.

“[Morehead’s score of] 67 is a great score,” Nelson said. “To

shoot that is tough, but to shoot 29 [on the back nine] is

incredible.”

Morehead finished 11th in the boys 14-15 division at the same

tournament one year ago.

Draganza, who will be an eighth-grader at Carden Hall in the fall,

shot 78 to finish third in the girls 12-14 class.

Draganza is trying to follow in the footsteps of her older sister

Natalie, who wrapped up her third straight individual Sea View League

girls golf title playing for Newport Harbor in the fall.

“I did really well on the back nine,” Lauren Draganza said. “I

could have done better, but this is good. I think if I try hard and

really practice I can be as good [as Natalie].”

In the same division, Newport Coast’s Shaw carded an 84 to finish

fifth.

Katie McKitterick, who will be a senior at Corona del Mar High

this fall, finished fifth in the girls 15-17 division a year ago in

the same tournament, but didn’t fare as well this time around,

tallying an 87 for 11th place in the same division.

“I had a tough time around the greens,” said McKitterick, who was

a member of Corona del Mar’s Pacific Coast League girls golf

championship team last fall as a junior. “I wouldn’t quite get where

I needed to be. I was a little strong today and off the tee I

struggled a little. But I’m still getting back into tournament golf

-- getting into the swing of things.

“Once I start playing more tournaments again I will get better.”

Paired in the same foursome was Jessica Milner, also a member of

the CdM girls golf team. Milner, who will be a junior in the fall,

shot 94 for 15th.

“I had a few good drives but part of my driver broke,” Milner

said. “It was making a weird noise all day. I was putting really well

on the back nine, though.”

Both McKitterick and Milner said they were optimistic about the

upcoming CdM golf season.

“I think we will win league again,” Milner said. “We’re like a

family. We have a lot of team spirit.”

Peters finished third in the girls 11-and-under age division with

a score of 46.

Other local residents who competed include CdM resident David Su

(70, tied for seventh in boys 16-17); Jack Francis of Newport Beach

(75, tied for 16th in boys 16-17); Stewart Hagestead of Newport Beach

(80, 24th in boys 14-15); Andrew Ayala of Costa Mesa (78, 22nd in

boys 14-15); Braden Cluck of Newport Beach (97, 48th in boys 14-15);

Tanner Trauthen of Newport Beach (95, 29th in boys 12-13); Mike

Moorehead Jr. of Newport Beach (83, 17th in boys 12-13); Sean Shaw of

Newport Coast (45, 11th in boys 11-and-under); Eli Gomez of Costa

Mesa (41, sixth in boys 11-and-under); Kelly Kawata (103, 19th in

girls 15-17); Michelle Drucker (93, 14th in girls 15-17); Jungwon Kim of Newport Beach (87, 11th in girls 15-17); Katherine Hanson of

Corona del Mar (112, eighth in girls 12-14).

Hale Furey of Newport Coast was scheduled in the boys 11-and-under

age division but did not compete.