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CV golfer Anthony Bonales wins award
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Anthony Bonales won the Western Athletic Conference individual title and Most Valuable Player award while starring on Central Valley High School's varsity boys golf team as a freshman last spring.

Bonales almost qualified for the Northern California Championships. He tied for fourth place at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament. Anthony finished third at Divisionals.

Bonales played in 13 tournaments, between June and August, on the junior circuit.

He finished third overall and captured the 14-15 flight championship at the Turlock Country Club Junior Golf Association of Northern California Tournament on Aug. 2.

He claimed the overall title at the Micke Grove Junior Classic on Aug. 5. The top finisher earned the right to compete at the JGANC Tournament of Champions at Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa.

"I was pretty solid all year," Anthony said.

Bonales was selected Junior Male Golfer of the Year by the Andy Silva Junior Golf Foundation on Oct. 15 at Stevinson Ranch.

"I didn't do it by myself," said Anthony, who thanked his grandpa and parents while presenting a short speech at the 19th annual Memorial Tournament dinner banquet.

Bonales edged out Ripon's Andrew Bonner and Turlock's Teo Chiesa for the prestigious award.

"I was pretty surprised," he said. "I didn't think I was going to win. It was a pretty good field. It's a real honor to be mentioned with those guys."

Bonales participated in the First Tee Training Program at the Hank Hanny International Jr. Golf Academy in South Carolina, June 12-18. He earned an invitation after submitting a 1,000-word essay and resume highlighting his golf and academic accomplishments.

"Hanny's a pretty famous guy," Anthony said. "He was Tiger Woods' coach."

Bonales enjoyed the week-long experience.

He played golf from 7:20 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

"It was a pretty rigorous schedule," Anthony said.

Bonales, a straight-A student, wants to continue his education and golf career at Stanford.

Anthony currently maintains a 4.26 GPA. He's enrolled in AP European History.

"I'm pretty competitive," said Bonales, who started his sophomore year at Central Valley in August. "Academics are the most important thing. If you don't have the grades, you're not going to go anywhere. It's definitely a lot of work."

Golf will continue to be priority 1b.

"I'm trying to get to the next level," Anthony said. "I'm going to play in a lot of tournaments through December. The new season starts in January."