HIGH SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT: ROYAL'S TOP GOLFER GETS BIG RESULTS CHIPPING, PUTTING MAKES UP FOR A LACK OF SIZE, STRENGTH.Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - Danny Hoffenberg is neither the strongest nor the longest hitter in junior golf, and for most of his career, he hasn't even been close. Especially when he showed up at Royal High of Simi Valley four years ago, all 5-foot, 85 pounds of him, needing three shots to reach the green in regulation on many par-4 holes. No distance? No problem, it turned out for Hoffenberg. Now in the home stretch of a four-year varsity career, he remains one of the area's smallest players - and one of the highest achievers. The Royal senior is defending Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. champion, has accepted a golf scholarship to Fresno State and is just 4-over par for the season - thanks to an area-best five rounds in the 60s. Hoffenberg, averaging 71.1, not only has the ability to take scores low, but the accuracy to keep them from going high - shooting nothing above a 75 this season and nothing as high as 80 for two years. ``It's hard to compare players from different eras,'' said coach Bob Misko of Royal, which sent long hitters Anthony Marciano (Cal State Northridge) and Roy Moon (UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX ) to Division I college golf during the 1990s. ``But I'd have to say he's the most consistent player we've had. You can sure count on him for a 74 or lower and usually much lower.'' Few area players have been as consistent as Hoffenberg, who has offset his lack of length with putting and chipping skills so impeccable im·pec·ca·ble adj. 1. Having no flaws; perfect. See Synonyms at perfect. 2. Incapable of sin or wrongdoing. [Latin impecc that supporters and rivals alike are left scrambling See scramble. for superlatives, and opposition coaches point to him as an example of the way the game should be played. ``The finest hands I've seen in the game, ever,'' said Valencia coach Rusty Swisher swisher Sexology A regional term for a really queer queer, not that there's anything wrong with that , whose best players included Brandon Christianson - the Valencia school record-holder (10-under 62), now at UCLA - and U.S. Amateur finalist Brad Uptgraft. ``His chipping and putting is pure genius,'' said Mike Pauldine, Hoffenberg's physical trainer, whose golf-specific core-strength drills have helped the undersized undersized see dwarfism, runt. star make the most of a frame that is now 5-8, 125 pounds. ``As he fills out that body - and he will grow - he's going to just bomb it.'' Oak Park coach Bruce Beck Bruce Beck is in his tenth year with WNBC. He is the weekend sports anchor for Newschannel 4. He also files numerous sports reports for the station's various weekday newscasts. recalls former Camarillo star Colin Wilcox, a two-time Daily News Player of the Year, following a similar short-game path to golf success. ``He wasn't very big when he started,'' Beck said of Wilcox, a former U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Ryder Cup Biennial team golf event first held in 1927. It was originally played between teams of golfers from the U.S. and Britain; since 1979 players opposing the U.S. have been chosen from all of Europe. The trophy was donated by the British seed merchant Samuel Ryder. player on scholarship at Pepperdine. ``He won because of his short game. And then he got big and added length, and now he's just sticking it.'' Dave Costley, coach at Marmonte League rival Westlake, which has produced two Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, team champions, said Hoffenberg is a rarity in high school golf. ``He's probably the only (short hitter) that's been really outstanding in our league,'' Costley said. ``But he just plays the game so smart and makes up for lack of distance with great chipping and putting. Most other kids just hit the ball. It's not that they can't (work to improve at short- game play), but they just don't.'' Hoffenberg said he had no option but to maximize his short-game play if he wanted to succeed in golf. ``I had to,'' he said. ``The par-4 holes were three-shot holes for me (to reach the green). I just had to learn to chip and putt.'' The learning process has helped him shoot rounds of 69, 69, 68 and 67 for his high school team this season and another 69 in a junior tournament - all on courses with a par of at least 70. He shot 67 last year in the final round of the Marmonte tournament, rallying to win the league title. Hoffenberg said his best ball-striking round this year was a 67 at Los Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
Simi Hills is located on the western edge of the San Fernando Valley, United States. They run east-west and they extend 26 miles east-west, and 7 miles north-south. . ``I haven't put the two together yet,'' he said. Neither is he satisfied yet with this remarkable season in which he is challenging the school record for low round (66) and average (71.7). ``I still have some rounds left,'' he said, ``and I know I'll be able to do better.'' Dave Shelburne, (818) 713-3609 dave.shelburne(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Royal High's Danny Hoffenberg has shot five rounds in the 60s this season and is averaging 71.1. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer Box: THE 60s GENERATION |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion