Wildcats Hope That This Is Their Year

It could have been a putt that lipped out early in the round.

Perhaps it was a wayward drive that forced a recovery shot and led to a bogey. Or maybe it was the failure to get up and down from a sand trap.

Whatever it was, it was one stroke.

And that single shot prevented the Brea Olinda golf team from qualifying for the Southern Section team championships.

Not just last year, when the qualifying tournament was shortened to nine holes because of heavy rains. And not just the year before that, when No. 1 player Brad Sader shot 81 in the qualifier.

It’s happened to the Wildcats in four of the last five years. In 1995 they missed by three strokes.

But with Sader and twins Alex and Brad Oh among six returning seniors, the Wildcats believe this is finally their year.

“This really is our last shot at it,” Brea Olinda Coach Ken Lutz said. “We’re going to be down a little after this and that’s why we’ve been looking forward to this year.”

Jason Woodrome, a junior transfer from Katella, will give the Wildcats what Lutz feels is plenty of depth to advance. Woodrome is the son of Fullerton Golf Course head professional Henry Woodrome.

Sader, Woodrome and the Oh brothers qualified for the Southern Section individual finals last year. Alex and Brad Oh advanced to the CIF-SCGA finals.

Alex Oh is the defending Times Orange County player of the year. He shot two-under-par 70 and finished second to Brett Bockmann of Palm Desert at the last year’s CIF-SCGA finals. That includes missing three birdie putts in his last three holes.

Brother Brad is just as good, with the same sweet swing and solid putting skills. He shot 75 and finished 10th at the CIF-SCGA finals last year. The twins transferred to Brea from Cerritos before their junior year.

The Oh brothers, Sader and Jon Magana, another returning senior, were All-Orange League selections last year. None of the top five Wildcat players has a handicap index higher than five.

“We have a lot of horses,” Sader said. “We just have to hope we’re playing our best golf in the month of May.”

The Wildcats, who took the top six spots in the Orange League individual tournament last year, are usually not challenged in league. With that in mind, Lutz has toughened up the nonleague schedule this year in an effort to better prepare for the postseason.

The Wildcats are also playing a tougher home course (Western Hills Country Club) than they played last year (Imperial Golf Course, which closed last spring). The new challenges are welcomed by the players.

“We need to do something a little different,” Sader said. “Hopefully we’ll get a little luckier too.”

Brea got off to a somewhat slow start, shooting 200 or higher in its first three matches. The Wildcats also lost a match to Fountain Valley during which Lutz had to rush to the hospital to be with his wife, who went into labor.

Another player was penalized nine strokes in that match for carrying 15 clubs (the rules of golf allow only 14).

“The beginning of our season has been a little crazy,” Lutz said. “But that’s OK. This is the time of year when you want to have problems.

“This is the best team I’ve had and if we get everybody going, then we can beat anybody on any given day.”

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PRESEASON TOP 10

1. Santa Margarita, Shot 10-under-par in first match.

2. University, Sinay, Won: County’s top twosome.

3. Brea Olinda, Breakthrough year expected.

4. Servite, Bollini leads balanced squad.

5. El Toro, Sea View champion Rhee is back.

6. Fountain Valley, Finished third in CIF/SCGA.

7. Huntington Beach, Will challenge Barons in Sunset.

8. San Clemente, South Coast champions return six.

9. Mission Viejo, Armstrong leads talented team.

10. Irvine, May be the surprise of the county.