FCWT at Coyote Creek: Ree storms to win
FCWT photo
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Nov. 16, 2008) -- After an opening round of 75, 14-year-old Ryann Ree wasn't within shouting distance of the leader, but that didn't keep him from showing up with a win on his mind on Sunday.
Ree took to the Coyote Creek golf course with a vengeance, posting his first of eight birdies on the very first hole of play.
By the 5th hole, Ryann was 3-under-par and may have begun to realize he had a real shot at a victory. On the No. 1 handicap 6th hole Ree made a double bogey, but quickly regrouped, making birdie on No. 7 and then again on No. 9 - giving him a 32 on the front nine.
He followed that up with a 35 on the back nine, putting him at 5 under par 67, totaling 12 birdies in 36 holes. His final round also forced a playoff with overnight leader, 16-year-old Chris Blystone of Santa Maria, CA (2010).
On Saturday, Blystone, a first-year FCWT player, fired a 3-under-par 69 to lead the Boys 16-18 division a week after he finished T-6th at the ASU Classic.
Blystone and Ree headed to the 13th hole to open the playoff, where Ree immediately produced a birdie for the victory. Ree's first FCWT title earns him exempt status for the remainder of the season and an exemption to the National Championship.
Cory McElyea of Santa Cruz, CA (2010) carded a final round of even par to finish in 3rd place.
Anton Arboleda of La Canada, CA (2010) also posted a final round of even par to finish in 4th place.
Jonathan Garrick of Atherton, CA (2012) was just one stroke back of Arboleda at 147, and finished in 5th. Mark Wyllie of San Jose, CA (2011) fired a 4 under par round (second only to Ree) to finish in 6th place. Dane Petersen of El Dorado Hills, CA (2009) carded the only other sub-par round on Sunday with a 1-under-par that allowed him to finish T12.
In the Boys 13-15 division local favorite Christopher Petefish of Danville, CA (2014) opened with a round of 74 on Saturday to take the lead. Petefish, who won seven times last season at the Boys 11-12 division level, including the FCWT National Championship, began the final round with a two stroke advantage over Tommy Economou of Hillsborough, CA (2011) and Kyle Bowser of Danville, CA (2012).
On Sunday, Economou gave Petefish a run for the title, with the two flip-flopping scores throughout the day leaving them tied at the end of 36 holes.
Petefish finally won with a par on the 4th playoff hole (No. 16).
Bowser, another local favorite, and Joel Slak of Folsom, CA (2011), who was playing in his first FCWT, finished tied for 3rd. Taylor Knoll of El Dorado Hills, CA (2011) earned the Low Round Honors with his even par on Sunday.
In the Boys 11-12 division Tyler Moore of Escondido, CA (2015) put an exclamation point on his 2nd win of the season by posting a final round of even par. Twelve-year-old Moore finished at +2 (146) for the event, as he led the field in birdies with seven and pars with 21 for the 36-hole event.
Twelve-year-old Gavin deFisser of Gilbert, AZ (2015) came in 2nd place with his own margin of 10 strokes. Austen Sandoval of Sacramento, CA (2015) earned 3rd place in his first FCWT event.
In the girls division of the Coyote Creek Open, Brenna Nelsen of Monte Sereno, CA (2011) carded a 76 (+4) to lead all scores in the Girls 13-18 division after leading the division in pars with 15 on Saturday. On Sunday, she protected her lead by carding a final round of 74 to win by three strokes.
Nelsen carded a total of 28 pars over the weekend as she earned her first win in her 3rd FCWT event of the season. She had previously finished as runner-up at the Classic Club and 4th at Notre Dame.
Tiffany Lim of San Jose, CA (2011) took home 2nd place at 153. She edged out Stephanie Hsieh of Alamo, CA (2011) who began the day in 6th place, five strokes back of Miss Nelsen, but carded the Low Round of 73 to finish in 3rd.