SOUTHERN SECTION GOLF: TWO AREA GOLFERS REACH TITLE MATCH.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

PALM SPRINGS - For Ben Fox, it was ``pretty boring out there.'' Hitting 13 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens and never going above par in a three-birdie round of 2-under 70 theoretically could have that effect on a reigning State Junior Amateur champion.

But Colin Wilcox drained every last bit of excitement out of his round in Monday's Southern Section boys' golf final, when both area players advanced to next week's CIF/SCGA Championship.

With Oakwood High of North Hollywood junior Fox in the gallery - following his own sixth-place showing - Camarillo senior Wilcox survived an eight-man playoff for the final five berths in the 22-player contingent the Southern Section will send to the June 3 CIF/SCGA event.

Wilcox advanced with enough drama to turn Camarillo coach Bill Dowden's already white hair maybe a little whiter.

Before securing the only birdie on what turned out to be a one-hole playoff at par-72, 6,904-yard Canyon Country Club, Wilcox had to survive a second shot into the rough and a third shot that needed to be lobbed about 30 yards directly over a gaping greenside bunker.

He not only survived but thrived, rolling in a 15-foot birdie putt from the fringe to earn his third CIF/SCGA berth in his fourth Southern Section final.

``I really wasn't going to leave (the putt) short because it was downhill,'' said Wilcox, who wound up in the playoff after a double-bogey on his last hole jumped his regulation score to 1-over 73 - only the third time this season he has shot over par.

``I just figured ... even if you go long you can still get up and down for a par, but it was kind of a bonus to knock it in for birdie.''

Wilcox, who entered the postseason with an area-best 69.8 season average, entered the playoff thinking par might not be enough.

``I thought everyone was going to birdie,'' he said after most of his playoff rivals were in that position following second shots on the 496- yard, par-5 playoff hole. ``It's kind of ironic because I hit my second shot dead right, then get the 4. ``I guess that's golf, and I look forward to going to state, or whatever they call it this year.''

This year, next week's CIF/SCGA event at Murrieta's SCGA Golf Club also will be a state semifinal, following resurrection of the state championship last held in 1981.

Eleven other area entries failed to qualify Monday, including Agoura's Jeremy Bovill and Ramie Sprinkling of Rio Mesa of Oxnard, who both shot 74 to finish a stroke shy of the final-berths playoff. Earlier, Lucas Lee of Torrance (68) edged Matt Pierce of St. Margaret's of San Juan Capistrano (68) in a playoff for the section title.

Other area players Monday included Joe Greiner (77) and David Cape (78) of Hart of Newhall; Erick Thorson (76) and James Dalthorp (77) of Oaks Christian of Westlake Village; Damien Yi (78) of Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta; Brett Kanda (79) of Flintridge Prep of La Canada; Kevin Horan (80) of Loyola of Los Angeles; Trevor James (81) of Oak Park; and Erik Jarvey (83) of Highland of Palmdale.

Dave Shelburne, [phone]

dave.shelburne(at)dailynews.com