Course Is Friendly Enough for Lakewood Sophomore Oh

Please forgive James Oh if he’s not too excited about winning the Southern Section boys’ individual golf championship.

The sophomore from Lakewood High shot a three-under-par 67 Thursday at Friendly Hills Country Club in Whittier, good enough for a three-shot victory over John Ray Leary of Culver City High.

Maybe it’s that the 16-year-old just doesn’t understand the significance of having his name added to a distinguished list of Southern Section champions that includes Tiger Woods, Steve Pate and Billy Casper.

Or maybe it’s that Oh, the 1997 California Junior amateur champion and winner of several American Junior Golf Assn. tournaments, understands the tournament’s insignificance all too well.

“It’s a one-day tournament, anybody could win. In a four-day national tournament is where you separate the good players,” Oh said.

Oh, who finished fifth in the Southern Section as a freshman, left immediately after his round to catch a plane to Akron, Ohio, where he, like many of Thursday’s competitors, is entered in the AJGA tournament at Firestone Country Club.

Oh’s peers were not surprised he played well at the 6,412-yard layout featuring tight fairways.

“This course sets up for him,” said 1997 Southern Section champion Brian Sinay of Irvine University High, who shot 73 and tied for fifth place. “He doesn’t hit it long, but he hits it straight.”

Oh had five birdies and two bogeys in his round. He nearly aced the par-three eighth hole, his 17th, when his six-iron shot came to rest a foot from the hole.

The top 22 finishers Thursday advance to the CIF/SCGA championships June 2 at the SCGA Member’s Club in Murrietta.

Chad Towersey of Corona del Mar, J.R. Ruda of San Marcos and Brad Shaw of Brentwood survived a seven-way playoff for the final three berths.