| Golf coach recalls Peterson as leader April 19, 2003 - FULL STORY There is little disagreement that Scott Peterson was a great golfer during his four years at University ofSan Diego High School. But there is a vast difference of opinion about his character and personality while he earned accolades on the links. To his coach, Scott was a model player. To some of his teammates, he was full of himself. Peterson was on the University High golf team from 1987 to 1990, and earned most valuable player honors two of those years. He was named to The San Diego Tribune's All-Academic Team three of his fours years in high school. "He was a tremendous kid and a tremendous golfer," recalled Dave Thoennes, who coached Peterson all four years in high school. "He was both popular and a leader." But that's not the Peterson teammate Ed Ventura remembers. "He was the biggest snob," Ventura said. "He was always talking about how good his golf game was and how much better he was than the others." Peterson anchored teams that competed in regional and state tournaments, Thoennes said, reiterating he had nothing but good things to say about him. Peterson was consistently in the top six golfers on the team, from his sophomore year on, and was a natural athlete who reveled in the sport, Thoennes said. "He was dedicated to his game. He was dedicated to his team." Peterson was always on time to practice and never caused a problem, Thoennes said. Quite simply, the way Thoennes remembers him, Peterson was a Beaver Cleaver kind of kid. "He had a great personality. He was dependable. He was well disciplined." Thoennes recalled Peterson as being quiet, yet confident, always ready with a smile and willing to answer the call as a mentor to others on the team. His leadership blossomed his sophomore year, after playing his freshman year alongside Phil Mickelson, now one of the top players on the PGA Tour. Mickelson said he could not remember Peterson. When Mickelson left, Thoennes recalled, Peterson filled the void, becoming the team leader in a seamless transition. "When it came time, Scott stepped up," he said. Ventura, however, said Peterson made sure his teammates knew who the new team leader was, irritating them with his arrogance. "He made sure we all knew how good he was," he said. The team did look to Scott, but because they knew his ability would lead them to win after win, Ventura said. "We always want him to play, but when it came to wanting to be around him we would stay away," he said. "He was a loner. At school he was the kind of guy you would walk by and not even notice." Peterson never really socialized, and when he did he stayed pretty much to himself, Ventura said. "He was a good golfer, that's all," he said HOME INDEX LACI SCOTT TRIAL NEWS INCONSISTENT STATEMENTS ALIBI-WITNESS |
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