Golfing With the Rees

He missed qualifying for the CIF State Golf Championships by a stroke, but the future remains bright for Redondo Union High’s Lawrence Ree.

“He’s got two more years of high school golf and that’s the beauty of it all,” said Redondo Coach John Burke of Ree, who is finishing up his sophomore year. “Getting as far as he did in CIF, I can imagine he’ll have some scouts looking at him next year. The sky is the limit for Lawrence.”

Ree barely missed the cut of players advancing to next week’s state meet at Pebble Beach, shooting a 71 during Tuesday’s CIF-SCGA regional competition at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena. He finished 11th overall.

“I think I played well,” Ree said. “I didn’t really make any mistakes, but I couldn’t hit my driver into the fairways as well as I wanted. My putting and chipping were pretty good. On my last hole though, a par 5, I was trying to go for it, but my club got stuck on a branch on my backswing and messed up the shot. And I missed a couple of short putts in the beginning that I should have made. But overall, I think I did OK.”

Ree has been more than OK all season, Burke said. 

He finished the regular season among the top players in the Bay League before advancing to CIF play. During last week’s CIF Section Finals, Ree shot a 75 and finished among the top 28 players to advance to the SCGA meet.

“If there is any weaknesses in his game, and it’s not really a weakness, it’s his putting,” Burke said. “He has a solid putting stroke, but he doesn’t make enough. If he could make 15 to 20-footers more consistently, I think he can be unbeatable.”

He added that Ree’s mental approach is great for his game, too. Burke served as interim coach this season at Redondo filling in for Loreen Trevino, who took the year off to recover from an unknown injury.

“He has such an even temperament,” Burke said. “I like the fact he doesn’t take golf so seriously because he is so free-spirited. He four-putted during one of the rounds in CIF and just shrugged it off. He bounces back better than any player I’ve got. You’d think the kid doesn’t have a competitive bone in his body sometimes because he’s so laid back, but nothing could be further from truth.”

Ree began to develop a love for golf when he was seven. That’s when his dad Kenneth took him to courses and he immediately gravitated to the game.

He isn’t the only Ree that has the golfing bug. Brother Ryann, who will be a senior at Redondo this fall, also is a member of the Sea Hawks team, but was forced to sit out this season after transferring from Mira Costa.

Lawrence also transferred from Mira Costa, but since he had spent only his freshman year there, CIF approved his eligibility. That wasn’t the case for Ryann. Burke said sometimes the CIF tends to take a harder line on athletes who transfer after their sophomore year. 

“We found out the hard way it was a pretty cemented rule,” Burke said. “After discussing it with CIF officials, I understand it.”

Robynn Rees, the boys’ sister, will be a freshman at Redondo this fall and play on the girls’ team. 

“We’ve been playing competitive against each other to see who’s better,” Lawrence said. “But Ryann has always been better. I’ve been trying to beat him for a long time. It’s competitive with all of us.” 

“What impresses me most about the Ree family is that they all get along and bring out the best in each other,” Burke said “They’ve got really supportive parents and they are just really good kids.”

The two brothers will be among a talented crew returning to the Redondo team next season. In addition to the Rees, Kenny Cole, Matt Ferradas, Ray Malazo and Michael D’Angelo are all capable performers.

“They’re all scratch golfers,” Burke said. “I think we’re going to be incredibly tough next year. But [coach] Loreen is the reason this team is so good. She’s brought the program up to another level. I give all the credit in the world to her.”

Running to State Finals 

A parade of runners from Mira Costa, Redondo, Palos Verdes, and Peninsula high schools will compete among the best at the CIF state championships Friday and Saturday in Fresno. 

Erica Capellino of Palos Verdes, who finished fifth in the 1,600 at last weekend’s Masters meet, was among the leaders of the pack heading north. Redondo’s Lyndsey Mull and Cara Ulizio also advanced in the 1,600. Mull came in ninth at the Masters, while Ulizio finished 11th.

Rebecca Mehra of Palos Verdes, who earned a fourth-place finish at the Masters, and Aryn Foland of Mira Costa qualified in the 3,200.

On the boys side, Palos Verdes runner Jonah Diaz will compete in the 3,200 in Fresno. Diaz finished seventh in the event at Masters.

In the 1,600, Redondo’s Evan Malone-White qualified for state. He finished ninth at Masters.