Late add wins Costa Mesa City title

Three weeks ago, Joe Fryer was looking for another golf tournament to compete in before school began at Long Beach State this fall.

Through word of mouth and at the last minute, Fryer, who lives near John Wayne Airport, found out about one close to home: the 44th Costa Mesa City Championship. The tournament was less than a week away.

The next thing Fryer did was call the site of the tournament, Costa Mesa Country Club, to find what he had to do to participate. Even though registration closed on July 30, a week before the start of the tournament, Fryer got some good news.

“I just called them and was like, ‘Is there any way I can still get into the tournament, and they were like, ‘Yeah, we do late entries the morning of the tournament [on Aug. 6], just show up about 10 a.m. and we’ll see if we can fit you in,’” Fryer said.

Fryer got in, paid his $195 entry fee, and a couple of hours later, he teed off on the Mesa Linda course. He was one of a handful of late additions.

The rest of the field probably wished Fryer had not gotten into the two-day tournament.

Fryer won the Costa Mesa City Championship, finishing with a five-under-par 137. He was the lone golfer in the field of 118 to shoot under par on both courses, firing three under on Mesa Linda and two under on Los Lagos.

The nearest competitors to Fryer were Tongun Lako LoSarah and Costa Mesa High graduate Bryce Sheridan, both shot 141. Three golfers — Joey Benedetti, Martin Manalo and Danny Ochoa — produced a 142. The next five finishers included David Ober (143), Nick Zapotoczny (144), Sage Casaga (144), Dario Hamada (144) and Big Canyon Country Club member Will Tipton (144).

Fryer’s victory didn’t come out of nowhere. He has been successful in the past, having led his high school team, Kamiak, from Mukilteo, Wash., to a state title four years ago, and he attended the Lee Westwood Golf School in England.

While Fryer has done well in golf, this victory meant a lot to the 20-year-old, who will be a redshirt sophomore at Long Beach State, and his family. The tournament marked Fryer’s third since he returned to the U.S. in June from England, where he traveled to pay his final respects to his aunt, Linda Hodge, who passed away at age 59 from ovarian cancer on May 14.

“I won that tournament for her,” said Fryer, adding that whenever he visited family in England he always enjoyed spending time with his aunt.

The tournament was an emotional one for Fryer, who was born in England, but has lived in the U.S. most of his life. His parents — Stephen and Valerie — are English and they were on hand to see him win the Costa Mesa City Championship, which also goes by the Will Jordan Classic.

Dad was his caddie and mom was his biggest fan in the gallery.

When Fryer told his mother that he dedicated the win to her oldest sister, it moved Valerie. Fryer kept himself together afterward, and for the most part, he was composed throughout the 36 holes of competition.

Fryer got off to a strong start on the first day on the Mesa Linda course. He birdied four holes on the front nine, and at one point, it looked as if Fryer could challenge the course record of 12-under-par 58, held by Sean Collins, the Costa Mesa City Championship tournament director and the coach of the Orange Coast College men’s golf team.

The back nine proved to be more daunting for Fryer, who only recorded two birdies. With three bogeys overall, he wrapped up the first round one stroke back of the leaders — Lako LoSarah and Austin Amaya, last year’s champion.

“The pins, the positions they put the flags in were really tough,” Fryer said. “They had them in the corners of the greens, furthering them out to make it more difficult. I just tried to hit the ball in the middle of the green and then took chances when I had the easier holes, where I could attack the flag.”

Fryer’s performance was impressive, considering it was his first time playing Mesa Linda. He had a little history with the other course, having played three holes on Los Lagos a couple of days before the tournament.

Only two golfers shot two-under-par 70 on Los Lagos, Fryer and Josh McCollum. Fryer collected four birdies and bogeyed twice, claiming the tournament, while McCollum took 12th overall with a 145.

“It was pretty good,” Fryer said of the competition. “There’s a mix of players, from college players to local club players to older players who used to play in college.

When it ended, Fryer said he made sure to thank the two women who helped him enter the tournament on the opening day.