WEST PALM BEACH — Benjamin boys golf has taken its second trophy of the Florida high school postseason, once again in narrow fashion over state champion rivals Oxbridge Academy.
The Bucs, who rank No. 1 overall in Florida per iWanamaker, shot 284 to defeat runner-up Oxbridge Academy by four strokes in the Region 4-1A championship on a windy Monday, Nov. 3 at The Park West Palm.
Senior Maurice Hoben and standout freshman Clint Lewis paced the Buccaneers by each shooting 70 (1-under), tying with Pine Crest's Finn Foster for the second-best overall score.
"It was definitely a lot harder with the wind, especially since the greens were really fast." Lewis said. "I definitely feel like I played well, hit a lot of solid iron shots, and hit a few putts."
Bucs golfers Charlie Woods, son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, and Andrew Tsar shot 72 each while Brooks Colton shot a 73.
Oxbridge Academy's Ajax Lanasa shot 66 (5-under) to win the individual region championship with the day's best overall score.
"That course played much harder than I think all of the kids thought it was going to play," Benjamin head coach Toby Harbeck said. "When that wind comes up here, it's not as easy as you think. We're used to it with Oxbridge. Every time we played last year, this year, it comes down to one or two shots."
"My guys were really consistent. The nice thing is when your No. 4 and No. 5 guys, Andrew (Tsar) and Clint, really helped us today. That's what team golf is all about."
Benjamin and Oxbridge Academy are Florida's last two Class 1A boys golf state champions. The Bucs defeated the ThunderWolves by three strokes in last week's district championship at Stuart's Champions Club at Summerfield.
Clint Lewis emerges for Benjamin golf
Lewis is the latest on Benjamin's roster with a successful golf heritage.
Lewis' grandfather Bob played in the Masters Tournament seven times and was Low Amateur in 1987. Lewis said his dad has been his coach for "pretty much my whole life."
He carded four birdies on Monday to continue an impressive freshman varsity campaign and help the Bucs claim another trophy.
"He showed me he can play under pressure and shoot birdies," Harbeck said. "I'm looking forward to many, many years with him. We have this tradition on this team where whoever is the team champion gets to hold the trophy.
"So when I gave it to him, it took everything in my power to get him to hold it. He wants no praise. He's so low-key. He just gets the job done and he's a bulldog."
Harbeck, Lewis, and the rest of the Bucs will aim for yet another trophy to complete the playoff trifecta when they travel up to Howey-in-the-Hills for the state championship on Friday, Nov. 14.
Ajax Lanasa shoots a 66 to lead the field
Ajax Lanasa didn't seem all that bothered by the winds blowing at a constant 30 miles per hour, nor the 25 mph gusts that threatened to move balls off track on Monday afternoon.
And if he was, his score didn't show it.
"It feels good, I just tried to hit the freeways and the greens out here," Lanasa said. "I just hit a lot of shots less than full to take the spin off. That was a big thing for me, to make sure I didn't get it too far."
Lanasa, who bogied just once all day — on the 17th hole — shot six birdies, including three out of the final four holes, to pace all golfers on the day.
He won a cantaloupe from the traditional Oxbridge fruit cart.
A year removed from being one of Oxbridge's best golfers in winning a state championship, the school's first, he's looking forward to the opportunity to compete once again.
Head coach Dan McLellan is too and believes the Thunderwolves are likely to be in the mix if players like Lanasa continue to perform well.
"It was great, put it that way," McLellan said "And hey, you never know, there could be more in the bank. I know he's an incredible athlete and I look forward to seeing what he has left in there."
Top five team scores
- No. 1 Benjamin — 284
- No. 2 Oxbridge Academy — 288
- No. 3 Pine Crest — 290
- No. 4 King's Academy — 296
- No. 5 Cardinal Newman — 300
Top individual scores
- Ajax Lanasa, Oxbridge Academy, 66
- Finn Foster, Pine Crest, 70
- Maurice Hoben, Benjamin, 70
- Clint Lewis, Benjamin, 70
- Grant Garrison, St. John Paul II, 71
- Charlie Sundermeier, St. John Paul II, 71
- Beau Allen, King's Academy, 71
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Benjamin golf holds off Oxbridge Academy for regional golf title
