Pirates earn trip to Regionals after solid OEC performance
TEMECULA -- The Orange Coast College men's golf team picked a good day for a solid, 36-hole performance as the Pirates finished second overall at the 2024 Orange Empire Conference Men's Golf Finals on Monday at Temecula Creek Golf Club, par-72.
Coast finished runner-up in both the morning and afternoon sessions and earned a spot in the Southern California Regional finals, set for May 5-6 at Rio Bravo Country Club in Bakersfield.
Leading the way on Monday and all season for that matter has been freshman lefty Tiger Tahvildari, who jumped out of the gates strong in the morning session, shooting an even-par 72 before grinding out a 3-over 75 in the afternoon. For the season, Tahvildari has been the top golfer in the OEC and finished with a season average of 71.4 strokes per round, the best among all golfers in the conference. His strong play earned him OEC MVP honors for 2024.
Fellow Pirate, Zach Iwashita earned All-Conference honors with the 12th-best stroke average for the season at 75.5. He stayed consistent on Monday, shooting a 75 in the morning and a 77 in the afternoon for a 147.
This year's Pirates have the ability for several golfers to shoot low scores at any given time and such was the case on Monday as Coast carded 10 rounds in the 70s on a tricky golf course against the best players in the conference. Other top performers for the Pirates included Cris Rodriguez (75-76-151), Keenan Boyle (77-77-154), Traver Dale (78-77-155) and Nathan Rhee (80-83-163).
