SOUTHERN SECTION GOLF: HART GOLFER SURVIVES PLAYOFF TO ADVANCE.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

LOMPOC - Ben Fox did it with practice. Brett Kanda had to rely upon a stellar short game. Colin Wilcox used perseverance. And Joe Greiner needed luck and a playoff.

Their different approaches earned all four 2003 Daily News All-Area golfers return trips to the Southern Section individual final Monday, when they were among 13 area survivors in the wind-buffeted Northern Individual Regional at Village Country Club.

No one was more relieved than Hart High of Newhall junior Greiner, whose birdie on the first playoff hole broke a three-way tie for the 24th and final berth in next week's Southern Section championship.

``I thought I was going to have to come back next year, because I didn't think I was going to make it,'' said Greiner, whose 78 seemingly left him little chance of advancing.

But day-long winds of 35-40 mph sent scores sailing in the 79-player field, and Greiner - who twice has shot 67 this year - got one more chance at stretching his season and quickly made the most of it. His 12-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole enabled him to join section-final Hart teammate David Cape, whose 73 tied for second-best score of the day.

``I got lucky,'' Greiner said.

Fox, the 2003 state junior champion whose high school - Oakwood of North Hollywood - does not field a golf team, spent the year practicing, then shot 70 in a qualifier to get to play Monday, when his 75 kept his short season going on what he called an off-day.

``I didn't hit the ball anywhere close to how I should be,'' the Oakwood junior said. ``I was putting well, though, and that kept me in it.''

Wilcox, the Pepperdine-bound Camarillo senior whose regular-season average of 69.8 was best in the area, shot 76 for his highest score of the year - and only his second over par. But he made four pressure putts in his final four holes to play that stretch in 1-over and advance.

Kanda, a Flintridge Prep of La Canada junior who was a U.S. Junior Amateur finalist as a freshman, hit only four greens Monday but shot 73, one stroke off the best score of the day.

``My short game was as good as it possibly could have been,'' said Kanda, who had two three-putt greens, but one was for par after reaching the 520-yard par-5 fifth hole in two shots.

Other area qualifiers were Damien Yi of Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta (74), Kevin Horan of Loyola of Los Angeles (75), Jeremy Bovill of Agoura (76), James Dalthorp III (76) and Erick Thorsen (77) of Oak Christian of Westlake Village, and Erick Jarvey of Highland of Palmdale, Trevor James of Oak Park and Ramie Sprinkling of Rio Mesa of Oxnard (all at 77). UCLA-bound Valencia senior Brandon Christianson, last year's Daily News Player of the Year who had a 2004 best of 65, shot 87 and failed to advance.

Dave Shelburne, [phone]

dave.shelburne(at)dailynews.com