Napa Valley College's Pepito off to super start at state men's golf
Photos are of Lawrence Pepito of the Napa Valley College men's golf team
Photos by Marty James
By MARTY JAMES
Napa Valley College's Lawrence Pepito started out the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships in spectacular fashion on Sunday, firing a 1-over-par 73 at Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside (Monterey County), and is tied for third place, just three shots off the lead.
Pepito, a sophomore, had four birdies on his card, as he positioned himself on the leaderboard in Round 1 of the state's season-ending tournament.
"Great round by Lawrence," Storm coach Bob Freschi said. "Lawrence was striping it well."
Pepito's birdies came on the par-4, fifth hole, par-4 seventh hole, par-4 12th hole, and the par-3 14th hole.
"Golf is about confidence, and he's really confident," said Freschi. "He played really well. He was really focused and really excited after his round."
Pepito and Nick DeBellis, who is also a sophomore for Napa Valley, each advanced from the CCCAA-Northern California Regional, played May 5-6, at The Old Course, at Half Moon Bay Golf Links, as individual qualifiers.
DeBellis tied for eighth place, shooting 75-81 – 156,
Pepito tied for 13th place, shooting 77-82 – 159.
The two NVC players continued their solid play in the first round of the state event. The Bayonet Golf Course is a par-72, 6,940-yard layout on the Monterey Peninsula.
DeBellis, named to the All-Big 8 Conference North Division team for Napa Valley, is tied for 46th place after a first-round 81.
"I got to see a lot of golf from both our guys, and they were really striping it well," said Freschi. "Nick had a really good round."
Final-round play in the two-day, 36-hole event begins at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, with tee times. Play will be from the Black tee markers, except for holes 4, 6, 8, 9, 13 and 17, which will use the Blue tee markers, according to the California Community College Athletic Association, at www.cccaasports.org.
"We're looking to put up two good numbers, for Nick and Lawrence," said Freschi.
The field consists of nine teams, including five from Southern California and four from Northern California, along with individual qualifiers. There are 68 players in the field.
Bayonet Golf Course, according to its website, www.bayonetblackhorse.com, "with its narrow playing corridors and steep, penal bunkering, has long been considered the most difficult test of golf on the Monterey Peninsula. The par-72, 7,104-yard course is famous for playability and strategic options."
Napa Valley played at the State Preview earlier in the season at Bayonet Golf Course. The Storm finished in third place.
It was windy, with gusts, at times, during Sunday's first round.
"It was changing, shot by shot. You just had to test the wind and then be committed to your shot and go for it," said Freschi. "The fog was rolling in and out. The greens are really running nice."
Pepito was able to recover if he did not get off the tee well or if he missed on his approach shots, said Freschi.
"It was kind of an inconsistent thing for him. Sometimes, he didn't get off the tee too well, and he would hit his approach shot and be off in the rough. And then he would get a great up and down. And other times he was really putting well. He drained 6- to 8-footers for par. But the holes he did pipe his drive, he hit a couple 290-, 300-yard drives, and then had a nice little wedge into holes and put himself in good position on the green, to give himself a good birdie look," said Freschi.
"He's a very talented young man. His swing is really, really solid."
DeBellis is also very capable of posting a low number at Bayonet Golf Course, said Freschi.
"He really struck the ball well (Sunday)," said Freschi. "It's putting himself in better position on the green when he has a wedge in. But he hit the ball well."
College of the Canyons-Santa Clarita has the first-round lead with a 376-team score. College of the Canyons won the CCCAA-Southern California Regional.
Reedley College, which won the CCCAA-Northern California Regional, is in second place with a 384-team score.
Also in the field is San Joaquin Delta College-Stockton (391), Ventura College (391), Orange Coast College-Costa Mesa (395), College of the Desert-Palm Desert (397), Santa Barbara City College (398), Sierra College-Rocklin (403), and Modesto Junior College (406).
Tied for the individual lead in the field is Ethan Posthumus of College of the Canyons and Tommy Evans of Reedley, each with 3-under-par 70s.
Pepito is tied for third place with Carson Diaz of Canyons.
The Storm won its second straight Big 8 Conference North Division championship and was the winner of six tournaments during the regular season.
NVC's Markus Nanpei tied for first place individually and was named All-State and Napa Valley College finished in fourth place at the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships last year at Sandpiper Golf Club in Goleta (Santa Barbara County).
NVC's Bob Wagner was low individual medalist at the 3C2A State Championships in 1958 at Almaden Country Club, in San Jose, with a 3-under-par 141 total. NVC also won the Golden Valley Conference championship that year.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.