(Whittier, CA) The Mt. SAC Men's Golf team completed its most successful season in 16 years with a perfect ending in the Orange Empire Conference Championships, Monday (June 7) at Candlewood Country Club.
The Mounties, who won their only CCCAA State Championship in 2005, swept both 18-hole tournaments with 12 wins and no losses and easily won their second conference title in program history.
"For myself, it was the most rewarding result in a season since I became a coach," Mt. SAC Men's Golf Coach Greg Osbourne said. "We had a great team unity and unselfishness."
Osbourne, also a PGA member, became the Mounties coach in 2016 after a six-year hiatus program. The program competed in its first competition the next spring in 2017.
Coming away with the 2021 OEC Most Valuable Player award was sophomore Bryan Saw with a close finish over teammate, Amaan Patel.
Saw, who was low medalist twice in the 11 conference tournaments, finished with the best scoring average at 73.2. He also carded two-under-par scores during the season.
Patel, who had the second-lowest score (67) of the 2021 season, finished in a tie for second in with Luke Bartram (Cypress College) with a 73.4 scoring average.
The third Mountie to finish in the top six golfers in the conference was sophomore Ben Sanders (4th place tie) with a 74.3 average.
Rounding out the fantastic four players for Mt. SAC in the top six was sophomore Felix Tsui (6th) with a 74.4 average.
All four Mounties earned 2021 All-Conference honors.
Kotaro Noda finished with a 75.9, along with Brandon Winters with a 76.4 average.
The Mounties won the conference title a 57-9 record, 12 wins better than second-place Saddleback (45-21), followed by Orange Coast (43-23), Cypress (41-25), Riverside (34-32), Victor Valley (6-60) and San Jacinto (5-61).
The final Mt. SAC individual scores for the two 18-hole championship tournaments at Candlewood Country Club were as follows: Saw, 145 (74-71); Sanders, 145 (73-72); Noda, 145 (75-70); Tsui, 147 (74-73); Patel 150 (76-74) and Winters, 150 (72-78).
After Mt. SAC secured the conference title in the first round, the attention turned to the OEC individual champion battle between Saw and Patel.
Both players were neck and neck coming into the final day and the winner between the two would determine the overall winner and Luke Bartram (Cypress).
Saw finished with a 74 after the morning round, two strokes ahead of Patel with a 76. Saw again bested Patel in the afternoon 18-hole final round and finished three strokes ahead with a 71.
Osbourne, who led the Mounties to a CCCAA State Championship tournament appearance in 2019, perhaps watched the final 18 holes of the season without any pressure of a great run for the 2021 title. He enjoyed the battle between Saw and Patel.
"It was nice watching with everything wrapped up," said Osbourne, after the team clinched the conference title.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.
