Archbishop Mitty of San Jose brought out the broom at Wednesday’s CIF State Boys’ Championship at par-71 Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach.
The Archbishop Mitty squad shot 2-over 357, defeating runner-up Anaheim Discovery Christian by 10 strokes to win its first State title and cap a historic season. Meanwhile, Matt Lloyd, a senior at Archbishop Mitty, fired a sizzling 6-under 65 to win the Individual title by three strokes over five players.
It’s the first time a Northern California team has won the State crown since Stevenson School of Pebble Beach took the title in 2013. Archbishop Mitty had squeezed its way into the championship. At the NCGA/CIF NorCal Championships, they’d hold off Bellarmine College Preparatory by a stroke to claim third place and the final berth into State. This season marked the first time that Archbishop Mitty won its Section title (Central Coast) as well.
“This is an unbelievable moment for us,” said Archbishop Mitty athletic director Josh Walker, who was subbing for head coach John Mosunic, who’s in South Africa on a school trip. “It’s a tremendous achievement by the guys. As a team, it’s been an amazing season.”
Lloyd was brilliant on what was a spectacular day. He’d post seven birdies, including a 30-foot birdie bomb on the 16th, to go against just one hiccup—a bogey on the par-4 12th. On his front-nine, Lloyd, who’s headed to Purdue University in the fall, carded a 31.
It’s one of the best rounds shot on the new Poppy Hills, which re-opened for play in 2014 after a complete renovation.
“It was just good golf. I’ve been working on playing smarter,” said Lloyd following his first competitive round at Poppy Hills. “I felt like I was in a groove and felt comfortable out there.”
Second place in the Individual championship was shared by five players at 68—- Donald Kay of Patrick Henry, Pleasant Valley’s Noah Norton, Cameron Sisk of Vahalla Norseman, Sean Maryuma of Campbell Hall and Lloyd’s teammate, Daniel Kim. Maryuma, who captured the SoCal title and is the son of PGA Tour winner Shigeki Maryuma, had a chance to catch Lloyd with an eagle on the par-5 18th but finished with a bogey.
Other scores (best five-out-six) for Archbishop Mitty were Brian Ma (72), Aashish Achanta (76), Justin Gasparovic (76) and James Rogers (82).
In the Team competition, Anaheim Discovery Christian was second with a score of 367, while defending champion Torrey Pines placed third at 370. It’s the first year that Anaheim Discovery Christian has had a Boys’ golf team. Torrey Pines has won a record three State team titles.
Anaheim Discovery Christian’s Stang Kornkamol, the lone girl in the field, shot an impressive 5-over 76 playing from the same tees.