Ceres’ Bonales turns back stout field to win Modesto City golf

Anthony Bonales remembers frequent nine-hole rounds with his grandfather as a kid at Dryden Park.

He learned to play there, and the game has served him well. He and his UC Riverside teammates nearly won the Big West Conference title last month, but there’s always been a trophy close to home that he coveted.

“Growing up around here, the Modesto City was on my bucket list,” Bonales said. “I didn’t play well on my first try last year.”

Well, the 19-year-old graduate of Central Valley High School in Ceres can check one item off his list. He hit it long and straight on courses well within his comfort zone, and the result was the title of the 33rd Modesto City over a solid 49-man field.

Bonales, tapping in carefully from 3 feet for a closing birdie at Dryden Park’s par-5 18th on Sunday, closed with a 69 at Dryden after an opening 67 Saturday at Creekside. His total of 7-under-par 136 edged Modesto’s Patrick Burda (70-68 – 138), who was playing ahead of the lead group, by two strokes.

Earlier in the day, Katy (Joslin) Bertucci – a 1999 State Women’s Amateur finalist – took her fourth women’s City title. Modesto’s Ron Collet, competing in the senior championship flight, where contestants play from the same tees as the championship field, took home the win (71-76 – 147).

Bonales has returned to form after an up-and-down freshman year at UC Riverside. Swing changes last fall caused a slump, but he recovered to be a part of the lineup in the spring.

Creekside, drought-parched and brown, played short and – for Bonales – just right. His incoming 32 for a 67 positioned him for a run at the title Sunday at Dryden.

There, on his home turf, he began with a birdie and nursed a narrow lead over Burda, Modesto reinstated amateur Marc Peterson (67-72 – 139), Jamie Looper of Oakdale (70-71 – 141), 57-year-old former City champion Peter Canevari (68-73 –141) and former Fresno State standout Shaun Evans (69-73 – 142).

Then again, leaderboards aren’t exactly a staple at city tournaments. Bonales sensed he was ahead but didn’t allow himself to think ahead of the next shot.

“I figured I needed a birdie at the 18th to secure my spot,” said Bonales, who was awarded a pro-shop gift certificate for $490 along with the trophy. “In golf, you never know if you’re in good shape.”

But when you hit 33 of 36 greens in regulation like Bonales, you like your chances.

“I was swinging the putter a lot,” he said. “It was mostly nice and stress-free.”

Bertucci, 33, plays more often now that son Matteo is nearly 3 and daughter Mia is 1. Her back-to-back 75s, adding to the twin 75s she shot last week at the Del Rio CC Ladies Invitational, indicate more than a little consistency.

“I feel like I’ve lost 15 yards and I have to club up,” she said. “I can hit the old shots but not as consistently. I slap it down there and try to scramble.”

Bertucci is better than that. She opened the tournament Saturday at Dryden by draining a 20-footer for birdie and began her pull-away from Fresno State senior Kayla Luis of Hanford (82-73 – 155) and three-time champion Jane Findarle (81-78 – 159). Cal State Bakersfield freshman Tori Peers (81-78 – 159) tied Findarle for third.

Leading by six going into Sunday, Bertucci removed all doubt with birdies on the first and second at Creekside. Whether or not she’s pregnant – she won in 2012 while carrying Matteo – she can golf.

“My goal is to play once a week,” she said. “It used to be once every other month.”

The rest of the flight winners:

▪ Men’s first: Tod Dilley, Modesto (75-73 – 148).

▪ Men’s second: Jim McClure, Turlock (81-79 – 160).

▪ Men’s third: Phil Dodge, Modesto (88-86 – 174).

▪ Men’s fourth: Eric La Joure, Modesto (96-98 – 194).

▪ Senior handicap low gross: Larry Benitz, Modesto (76-80 – 156).

▪ Senior net handicap: Ruben Patron, Riverbank (61-69 – 130).

▪ Women’s low net: Melissa Thrasher, Modesto (73-70 – 143).

This story was originally published June 14, 2015 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Ceres’ Bonales turns back stout field to win Modesto City golf."