Canyons Brings Home Eighth Straight WSC Championship

The College of the Canyons men's golf team claimed its eighth straight Western State Conference (WSC) title on Monday, with the Cougars able to hold off second place Ventura College to taste victory for the sixth week in a row.

The WSC Finals were played over 36 holes on a clear day at Cypress Ridge Golf Course in Arroyo Grande. 

COC ended the day with a five-man score of 753 (377/378) to lead the pack. Ventura at 755 (377/378), Santa Barbara City College at 768 (383/385) and Citrus College with a round of 785 (391/394) were next on the leaderboard.

All four schools will advance to play at next week's California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Championships. 

Glendale College at 812 (399/413), Bakersfield at 900 (440/460), Victor Valley College at 922 (460/462) and Antelope Valley College with a 958 (493/465) rounded out the field of eight schools.

The Cougars bested Ventura by a single stroke in the opening round with freshman Daniel Taplin leading the way with his round of 73, which tied for the top score on the first 18, and second best round of the entire day. 

Taplin's combined score of 147 (73/74) also led the Cougars.

COC sophomore Ben Campbell's score of 150 (76/74) tied with teammate Ricky Hoefert (74/76). 

Sophomore Jaeyeol Kim was one shot off that pace, and ended his day at 151 (75/76).

COC freshman Michael Lindgren carded a first round score of 78, but had his second round of 78 scratched. 

Meanwhile, Travis Fay's mark of 80 did not score for the Cougars in round one, but the sophomore came back with a 77 on the back 18 to factor into the final score sheet.

Canyons ends the regular season with an overall record of 73-4. 

Campbell has been named conference co-MVP and will share that honor with Joey Herrera of Ventura. Both players finished the season with an adjusted stroke count of 660.

Taplin finished the season ranked third in the WSC, just six strokes off the lead. Kim and Lindgren rank sixth and 11th, respectively. All three players have been named to the All-WSC team, with COC head coach Gary Peterson earning Coach of the Year accolades.

The 2017 WSC Championship is the program's 23rd conference title. Since the 2000 season Canyons has won the conference championship in all but two years.

The Cougars have also qualified to compete at the CCCAA Southern California Championships 29 times, including a streak of 23 straight seasons dating back to 1995.

COC has won also three straight Southern California regional titles (2014, 2015, 2016) heading into this year's event. 

The 2017 CCCAA SoCal Championships will be held Monday, May 8, at El Camino Country Club in Oceanside. The 36-hole event will tee off at 7 a.m.