Canales finished two shots clear of a four-way scrum for second place that included defending tournament champion Kevin An, of Riverside, Calif., who fired an 11-under to win last year at Spencer T. Olin Golf Course.
Two golfers sat nine shots behind Canales and seven behind the runner-up logjam to finish in a tie for sixth place. That duo included Chaminade senior-to-be Ryan Walsh, who had the area’s best showing with a three-day total of 4-over 220.
“It’s tough to play well three days straight. It just goes to show how good the pros are,” Walsh said. “But at the end of the day, you’ve got to be proud. It was my first AJGA this year.”
If Walsh was allowed to eliminate one score and keep the other two, he would surely delete his second round in which he carded a six-over 78. He sizzled on Day 1 with a 4-under 68 and had a strong final round of 2-over 74.
“The first day, my irons were great. I think I hit 15 or 16 greens,” Walsh said. “Yesterday, starting on the back nine, I missed the first four, and I didn’t get up and down on any of them.”
Walsh’s solid final round was buoyed by a strong back nine that began with two birdies. Only a bogey on his final hole kept him from being 2-under on the back nine.
“I kind of had a similar back nine that I did the first day, except I birdied 18 and bogeyed it today,” Walsh said. “I was proud of the way I played. I was 3-over on the front, so I kind of bounced back and it felt good.”
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