La Verne Wins SCIAC Men's Golf Championships
HEMET — La Verne’s Derek Zachman won a sudden-death playoff against Brad Shigezawa of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps with a birdie on No. 18, leading the Leopards to a win at the 2012 SCIAC Men’s Golf Championship Tournament at the Diamond Valley Golf Club on Monday, and their sixth consecutive overall SCIAC men’s golf championship.
“Winning the individual championship is the cherry on top,” Zachman said. “The team championship is really the important part.”
Zachman shot a 69 on Sunday, a 72 on Monday — 1-under 141 overall — and then sunk a 6-foot putt to secure the victory.
Shigezawa posted on 68 on Day 1 and a 73 on Day 2.
The Leopards earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national championship tournament starting on May 15 in Orlando, Florida.
ULV, which had three of its scorers finish in the top 10, overtook Redlands for the top spot after trailing the Bulldogs by one point in the standings (30-29) heading into the weekend.
The Leopards finished with a team score of 582, seven more strokes than second-place Cal Lutheran (589).
Nick Ericson and Kelby Sharmann finish tied for sixth with 146 for La Verne.
Redlands’ Bobby Holden shot a 67 to take the lead after 18 holes on Sunday, then shot 76 on Monday, finishing third overall in the tournament.
