The sun was shining bright on the fairways of the Lakewood Country Club Wednesday, on a beautiful day that was wasted if spent anywhere other than a golf course.  Perfect conditions for 18 holes, so Supervisor Don Knabe offered only a few words of advice.

“Hit ‘em long and straight!” Knabe said to the 36 local high school teams participating in the 11th Annual Knabe Cup, the Supervisor’s way of giving talented athletes an opportunity to enjoy the game they all love.

“Coaches tell us they don’t play any other tournament like this,” said Knabe, who learned to play the game on a tiny course in Orion, IL – which used sand greens.  “It gives them a great warm-up for CIF Finals because the competition is so good.”

The competition was certainly heightened due to talented golfers that participated from local high schools.

“It’s fun every year,” said golfer Max Do from Wilson High, which was coming off of a recent win over defending state champion Edison.  “I always look forward to this tournament.”

Do was just as confident as he was excited, saying that he thought both he and his team would be competing for the coveted Knabe Cup.  He was right, finishing with 72 that was good enough to tie for fourth.  His Bruins came in an impressive third behind only Chadwick and 2008 Knabe Cup Champs Los Altos.

“It’s amazing to see what talent these kids have at such a young age,” Knabe said after walloping the ceremonial tee shot down the first fairway.  “It’s a discipline, and you have to work hard.  But you can enjoy it for the rest of your life.”

In other local schools, Long Beach Poly finished tied for ninth while Lakewood trailed at a tie for twelfth.

Lakewood’s Justin Youngblood (below, red) and Long Beach Poly’s Bryan Resner (below, green) led their school teams and tied with a score of 84.