PETALUMA — Middletown”s Blaine Ruggio tied St. Vincent”s Evan Knight for the low round of the day before losing a two-hole playoff Monday during the North Coast Section Division II Golf Championships at Rooster Run Golf Course in Petaluma.
The good news for Ruggio is that the top four individuals move on to next Monday”s NCS Meet of Champions at Contra Costa Country Club. Advancing along with Knight and Ruggio, who fired 1-over-par rounds of 73, will be Redmond Lyons of Stuart Hall and Carlos Briones of Moreau Catholic. Lyons and Briones tied in regulation with 74 and Lyons won a one-hole playoff for third place.
Winning the Division II team championship was Moreau Catholic with 316. The Hayward-area team edged out Marin Catholic of Kentfield (318) and McKinleyville (320). Marin Academy (San Rafael) came in fourth with 332 and St. Vincent rounded out the top five at 333.
Kelseyville High School golf coach John Berry served as the tournament director and was assisted by wife Julie Berry as well as rules official Jack Lucich.
“It went well,” Berry said. “It was a beautiful day, sunny with a slight breeze. We completed the round in five hours, 15 minutes. Usually it takes about six hours.”
A total of eight schools and 22 at-large golfers participated in the Division II competition. Teams do not advance to the Meet of the Champions.
“It”s a tough course, so you”re not going to see any 68s or 69s,” Berry said of the par-72 Rooster Run layout. “It was a good, strong field, but the course held up and held off all comers.”
On the 73s fired by Knight and Ruggio, Berry said, “Very well done.”
St. Vincent and Middletown finished 1-2 in the Coastal Mountain Conference South standings this season and Knight and Ruggio were among the conference”s best golfers.
Kelseyville”s Corey Huber, the only other Lake County golfer besides Ruggio playing at Rooster Run, finished with an 84 that included one birdie. Ruggio carded two birdies during his round.
The top four individual finishers next Monday at Contra Costa advanced to the NorCal Championships May 23 at Butte Creek Golf Course in Chico.
