Sobrato senior has no complaints after tough round at Rancho
Canada Golf Club
CARMEL — For 18 holes Tuesday, Reed Campbell battled as best he could against the tight greens and narrow fairways at Rancho Canada Golf Club in Carmel.
The West Course was as elegant as it was uninviting.
“It’s a beautiful course — way difficult, though. It’s much harder than any course I’ve played this year,” Campbell said Wednesday.
The easy-going Sobrato senior wrestled away a 23-over-par 94, placing 77th out of 83 golfers. His score, however, did not dampen the experience of playing in the Central Coast Section Regional 2 Tournament, a qualifier for CCS Finals.
“I was just happy to get another round of golf in,” the right-hander said. “I didn’t really have high expectations going into the season. I just wanted to play my game as best I could.”
Relying on his consistent iron shots, Campbell put together a decent finish after shooting 49 on the front nine. He bogeyed or shot par on seven of the final nine holes.
“My ball ended up inside a tree on one hole,” he said lightheartedly. “The course definitely wasn’t advantageous for me. I walked across one of the fairways, and it was 15 yards wide.”
Campbell enjoyed playing in his foursome, which included Valley Christian’s Will Clark and Saratoga’s Andy Cho, who shot a round-best 74 to tie for ninth overall. Those two advanced to the May 18 Section Tournament.
“They were great guys. I was really glad to see the Valley Christian kid make it,” Campbell said. “He’s a great golfer, really fun to play with.”
Matt Pinizzotto of Palma and Archbishop Mitty’s Shotaro Ban, who played in the First Regional on Monday, tied for the individual title at 68.
Campbell, the only Morgan Hill golfer in the tournament, added a finishing touch to a bounce-back season for his team. The Bulldogs finished 3-8 in Mount Hamilton Division dual matches after a winless 2009.
Sobrato will likely move back down to the Santa Teresa Division for next spring.
“It was a positive year for us,” Bulldogs coach Jeff Bernstein said in late April. “Playing in an ‘A’ division after not winning a match the year before had me worried at first, but the guys played to their potential and were able to get a few wins. That was good to see. I think we’re going to fit in well next year in the ‘B’ league.”
