Crystal’s Edan Cui, Serra’s Willy Walsh advance to state golf championships

“Edan’s game is extremely good,” Crystal Springs head coach Brian Klemm said. “He’s a phenomenally talented player and a legitimately 64 is available to him on certain days. So, I’m not surprised he shot under par at all.”

Cui finished tied with Walsh and Athenian’s Austin Wang for fifth place. Dougherty Valley’s Jacob Ponce claimed the individual championship, shooting a 7-under 65. De La Salle earned the team championship, scoring 3-under as a team. Crystal Springs finished in sixth place in the team scoring with a plus-21.

Last week, Crystal Springs rallied to win the first Central Coast Section boys’ golf championship in program history. Now, Cui will become the first Gryphon to play for a state title.

The state championship finals are slated for next Wednesday at San Gabriel Country Club in San Gabriel, just southeast of Pasadena.

“He is so strong of a player, I absolutely know he can win on that golf course,” Klemm said.

Walsh goes on a roll

The day didn’t start out well for Serra’s No. 1 ranked junior. After the first seven holes, Walsh was shooting a 3-over. The performance left him talking to himself, pounding his leg a few times, but ultimately summoning his A game.

“It was kind of just keeping my head in it because I knew I was going to be out of it if I didn’t start doing better,” Walsh said.

Walsh went on quite a roll from there, sinking a five-foot putt for birdie on 8. It was the first of four birdies on five holes, before he chipped for a magnificent eagle on the par-5 14th.

Walsh had a chance to move into a tie for fourth place with Davis Senior’s Ryan Firpo — who finished with a 4-under 68 — but Walsh didn’t put quite enough speed on a tough eight-foot putt for par on a side hill on 18.

Still, Walsh is walking on air at the thought of playing for a state championship, after not having a chance in his two previous seasons due to the pandemic. There was no boys’ golf season in 2020 and the 2021 postseason was abbreviated, with the CCS championships — where he finished tied for sixth place with Menlo School’s Eric Yun — serving as the final tournament of the season.

“I’m super pumped,” Walsh said. “I’m pumped that I kept myself in it. I know winning this would have been great but I know winning next week would be even better. So, I’m just happy I’m in it and hopefully I can make something happen.”

The last Serra golfer to advance to the state championships was Jordan Cox, who finished runner-up in 2006 behind the state champion out of Murrieta Valley, Rickie Fowler.

Also carding for Serra was Trevor Moquin, who finished tied for 21st with a 2-over 74.

Crystal’s young guns

One of four freshmen on the Crystal Springs roster, Cui has been at the forefront of a renaissance for Gryphons golf. The emergence corresponds with the arrival of Klemm, who relocated to the Bay Area from Georgia three years ago.

Klemm said his success since arriving at the small Hillsborough private school has been more luck of the draw, however.

“Really, we just got crazy lucky,” Klemm said. “They’re all just tournament players, essentially.”

Crystal Springs does not actively recruit for its golf team. Klemm heard whispers there was a good incoming group on the way. But he went into the season with the requisite amount of speculation as to how good good is.

“You never really know what that means,” Klemm said. “Good is really relative.”

Klemm didn’t know what he had in this year’s group until he witnessed the young talent on the first day of boys’ golf tryouts. He immediately recognized the incoming freshman quartet was indeed good. Very good.

“I was like: ‘What is happening?’” Klemm said.

Cui has been a Steady Eddie at the top of the Gryphons’ lineup. Never too high, never too low, the freshman was in typical form Monday.

“He was extremely stable today,” Klemm said. “He didn’t eagle anything, he didn’t double bogey anything. … He’s a ball striker. So, especially for a ball striker like him, his rounds can be so consistent. He’ll hit 16 greens pretty consistently, and that’s what today was for him.”

There were plenty of fireworks going off around him. Crystal’s KC Mungali — who shot a 1-over 73 to finish tied for 15th place — sank a clutch birdie on 16 with a 35-foot putt. Henry Chen stepped into action and shot a 5-over 77 to tie for 37th.

And De La Salle’s Jaden Dumdumaya — who finished tied for second place with Cosumnes Oak’s Zachary Mate with a 6-under 66 — nearly hit a hole-in-one on the par-4 7th, delivering a tee shot onto the green three feet from the cup on the 254-foot, uphill hole.

Klemm said Cui was elated with his performance though.

“He’s happy,” Klemm said. “Edan is a great team player. He’s always positive, he’s always well composed … and he’s a freshman. So, to have that level of skill, talent and maturity in one player is amazing.”

Also carding for Crystal was Philip Hu with an 8-over 80, good for 48th. Griffin Chiu finished 59th with an 82. Russell Chiu took 72nd with an 85.