Tournament to the point

COSTA MESA — Monday’s Mesa Verde-Estancia Team Tournament gave players an opportunity to work on their games with their coaches looking on and a scoring format that awards points for pars, birdies and eagles.

Sixteen teams converged at Mesa Verde Country Club, including two from Newport Harbor High and one from Estancia in the 18-hole tournament. Newport’s A team finished fourth with 61 points while Estancia and Newport’s B team each tallied 33 points. Mater Dei claimed first place with 70 points.

Teams were allowed four players and one coach, with each player’s points counted toward the overall score. Pars were worth one point, birdies three points eagles five points and holes-in-one or double eagles were worth 10 points. Coaches competed against one another for separate bragging rights.

Senior Travis Russell led Newport’s A team with 23 points, including four birdies, while Estancia sophomore Jake Knapp also tallied four birdies en route to a one-over-par 72.

Zach Eddy, Mychael Clark, and Marcus Mercado-Kiel contributed for Newport’s A team while seniors Junior Ramirez, Spencer Roberts and Ryan Burns joined Knapp for Estancia. The Eagles played more than half the holes with three players after Burns went home early with a rash, Estancia Coach and Co-Tournament Director Art Perry said.

Eddy birdied the 453-yard, par-four fifth hole, hitting a seven iron from the fairway to four feet and then sank the putt. Knapp hit his approach from 70 yards out to about four feet and made the birdie putt on the 419-yard, par-four 14th.

Erickson Klein led Newport’s B team with 12 points while teammates Kawika Morse, James Wall and Preston Wheeler helped the Sailors’ efforts.

Newport Coach Scott Tarnow said he hoped the Sailors would finish in the top three, but said the team played “pretty well.”

“We were right there and had our chances,” said Tarnow, whose Sailors are 7-2 heading into two key Sunset League matches this week against Esperanza (Wednesday) and Los Alamitos (Thursday).

For Perry, who runs the tournament with his brother, Chuck, the goal was to give his players practice in preparing for the rest of the season.

In Monday’s tournament, coaches were paired in the same groups with their players.

“Each one of the coaches can talk to players about course management,” Perry said. “We’ve already made vast improvements by playing more holes. You learn to see what [players’] weaknesses are. The tournaments develop you into better players.”

The Eagles (3-7, 3-2 in the Golden West League) face Northwood at Costa Mesa Country Club Thursday.

Newport eclipsed its 2009 showing by seven points and Tarnow commended the Perrys for running a smooth tournament.

“They don’t overcrowd and everyone starts on time,” Tarnow said.