REGION GOLF: Bonanza’s Jordan hopes short game can lead to big win

For roughly two hours each evening, Alex Jordan is alone in his backyard.

The Bonanza senior golfer spends the time meticulously angling over his putter on his personal practice green working on his short-game mechanics.

“I’m peaking right now, as a friend just told me,” said Jordan, who led the Southwest League this season with a 75.3 stroke average. “I think he’s right, especially with the confidence I have in my putting. I feel like anything from eight to 10 feet I can drain.”

Jordan will try to put his nightly ritual to good use when the Sunset and Sunrise Region tournaments begin at 10 a.m. today at Primm Valley Golf Club in Nipton, Calif. The tournaments conclude Wednesday at Mountain Falls Golf Club in Pahrump.

Jordan, who was eighth in the Sunset tournament in 2011 and tied for 10th in 2012, concluded the regular season strong with a 2-under-par 70 at Paiute to tie for first.

“Sophomore year, I think I had (a good) chance at state,” Jordan said. “I missed two two-footers that would have put me to state. Ever since then, I’ve been working on my short game, my confidence and being composed under pressure.”

Bengals coach Preston White said he has witnessed that steady development. 

“I’ve seen him gain close to 20 yards per club each season, and his accuracy with the driver and short game improvements have been huge,” White said. “He’s always had a great attitude. Never too frustrated, never throwing clubs, keeps his mind on the hole he’s playing, not the one he missed.”

The top two teams in the tournament earn a trip to Reno for state. Jordan is Bonanza’s lone representative in the tournament, so he’ll have to finish among the top five golfers on non-qualifying teams to earn a berth.

“Really all year I haven’t concentrated on the team aspect,” Jordan said. “It’s been more for me. I’m accustomed to that now. I just want to go in there and have two good rounds and hopefully go to state.”

Jordan will have to contend with friend and fellow Sunset standout Ben Davis (Shadow Ridge), as well as Palo Verde’s Brandon Bauman and a string of Bishop Gorman golfers.

“I expect (Jordan) to be top three,” White said. “Definitely the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen absolute precision with his irons and short game. Right now, his game is as good as I’ve seen it.”