By Pete Borello

Local Golf Roundup

Staskus out of Amateur

Local golfers Kevin Lozares and brothers Michael and Chris Jensen each finished among the top five in their respective divisions at last week’s 72nd Northern California Golf Association Junior Championship at Richmond Country Club.

Lozares, a Mountain View resident, placed second in the Class B Boys division (ages 14-15) with a three-round score of 234.

Michael Jensen of Los Altos finished in a three-way tie for third in the same division by shooting 236.

Among the Class C Boys (12-13), Chris Jensen took third with a two-round tally of 158.

St. Francis High student Lozares was 10th after two rounds, then shot a 72 the final day to move up the Class B Boys leader board. He lost the title by three strokes to Alvin Lata (231) of Milpitas.

Michael Jensen’s best performance came on the final day with a 77, which allowed him to tie Keith Liao (Alameda) and AJ Hohn (Lodi) for the third spot.

“I improved my scores on each of my three rounds,” Michael said, “but could have scored better if I would have sunk a few more putts.”

Despite a rocky beginning, Chris Jensen led the Class C Boys after the first round with a score of 78.

He fell back the next day with an 80, however, and finished two strokes behind division champion Ryan Jarvis (156) of Benicia.

“The first round I was 8-over after eight holes, but on the next 10 holes I was 2-under,” Chris said. “… The cold, windy weather was probably the biggest factor in my slow start on the first day. On the second day, my game was just off a little bit … .”

Another local player in the event, Tyler Martin of Los Altos, failed to qualify for Class A Boys (16-17) finals. The St. Francis student finished with a two-round score of 168.

The Northern California Golf Association tournament concluded Aug. 21.

Los Altos resident Michael Staskus failed to qualify for the finals of the U.S. Amateur Championship last week.

Staskus posted a two-round score of 158 in qualifying action Aug. 20-21 at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta. He needed at least a 144 to advance.

Staskus was invited to the event after tying for second at a U.S. Amateur qualifier Aug. 6 at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, where he shot a two-round 145.