Newport Beach is long overdue
Tony Letendre didn’t know the year, but he was certain that Newport Beach Country Club had won the Jones Cup once.
“Seven or eight years ago,” said Letendre, the head professional at Newport Beach.
Try 11 years ago.
As the Jones Cup enters its 16th year, the local country club with the second longest drought is Newport Beach. Only Santa Ana has struggled more than Newport Beach and that’s because Santa Ana has never finished first in the one-day event.
“We are long overdue for a victory,” Letendre said with a laugh.
Letendre is captaining Newport Beach in the Jones Cup for the fourth straight year. This year’s Jones Cup takes place at Big Canyon, Newport Beach’s neighbor, on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.
Newport Beach’s team was unable to get together for a practice round at Big Canyon before the tournament, which features a two-best-ball format. Letendre said scheduling conflicts was to blame, and besides, there’s a lot going on at Newport Beach these days.
“We’re under construction,” Letendre said, referring to the new $40-million clubhouse and redesigned grounds project that began in October and won’t be ready until next spring.
In the meantime, Letendre has tried to build Newport Beach into a Jones Cup contender.
Letendre brings back a familiar face in Carlo Borunda, the club pro at Newport Beach. The other members on the team are women’s champion Debbie Fleming, men’s champion Jeff Bloom and senior men’s champion Jan-Erik Palm. Fleming and Palm have played with Letendre in past Jones Cups, the first time in his debut season as the head pro at Newport Beach three years ago.
Bloom’s last Jones Cup appearance was in 2011, when Newport Beach came in third. That finish has been Newport Beach’s best in its last four trips to the Jones Cup. Newport Beach has placed fourth the previous two years and last in 2012.
There’s a reason behind those poor results by Newport Beach in the five-team tournament.
“Our team has played tight,” Borunda said. “We’ve played for par far too often. Our approach now is to go for birdies. Three birdies by each person will help our chances.”
The team that has historically succeeded with its birdie game has been Big Canyon. The hosts will be hungry to return to the top after it lost a one-hole playoff last year to Shady Canyon, which denied Big Canyon’s attempt at a four-peat.
Big Canyon leads the field with nine Jones Cup titles, followed my Mesa Verde’s four, Shady Canyon’s one and Newport Beach’s one. Newport Beach had a legitimate shot to claim its second Jones Cup seven years ago, before losing in a three-team playoff, finishing tied for second, behind Big Canyon.
Times have changed since then for Newport Beach. No member off that 2008 Newport Beach quintet has represented the club in the Jones Cup since Letendre became the head pro in 2012. Borunda jokingly says he’s responsible for Newport Beach’s shortcomings.
Newport Beach appears ready to make a run at winning its first Jones Cup since 2004, when it played host to the tournament.
“In years past, we haven’t had the focus,” Borunda said. “You know Tony and I are trying our best. The three champs that we have seem very ready. This is the most confidence we’ve come in with.”