There's a sentiment in golf that suggests players need to believe they're great before they can actually be great.

St. Francis High School girls coach Kim Eber believes her players are great, if that counts.

Whether Eber's opinion stems from supreme confidence or is part of a psychological ploy, the facts suggest St. Francis will again be in over its head when it contests the 2008 California Interscholastic Federation State Girls High School Golf Championships on Tuesday at Red Hills Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga.

"If we play well, I think we win it," the second-year coach said. "We have five girls who consistently shoot in the 70s. If we can get five in the 70s next week, we win."

Eber stands by her statement, even though:

• St. Francis finished 29 strokes behind winner Torrance at last year's state tournament that was contested in Northern California.

• St. Francis has been without junior Marissa Mar, its No. 1 player from last year, all season because of a knee injury. Torrance, meanwhile, returns its entire team.

• St. Francis finished 28 strokes behind winner Poway in 2006.

Senior Tiffany Dong, junior Daniela Okino, sophomore Briana Mao and senior Jenn Moore return from last year's team and have been rock solid in the top four spots for the Troubadours. Freshman Nichole Cruz has been a huge addition to the team at No. 5.

Freshman Sadie Strain, sophomore Melyssa Astorga and junior Malinda Stumbos will compete this week to see who fills out the final spot.

"The team has a better feel about it this year," Eber said.

St. Francis has won nine of the 11 Northern California titles, including a 17-shot win over Alameda on Monday in Salinas, but has yet to make an impact in the five years of the state championship.

The NorCal outcome was a lot closer than the score indicates, considering Alameda held a six-shot lead through the top four players. That was a good thing, Eber said.

"Those butterflies and that feeling of 'holy cow, we could be out of this before state,' woke us up a little bit," she said.

Freshman Ashley Noda finished second individually at the NorCal tournament and will be the first player from Loretto advancing to state competition.

Green fee tax called a mistake

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal last week to extend a state sales tax to include golf green fees was a shank in the opinion of area course operators already struggling in the face of a tough economic climate.

"It will have a detrimental affect on all of us," said Jeff Wilson, regional manager for ClubCorp Golf, which leases Teal Bend, Turkey Creek and Empire Ranch.

"Pricing is so sensitive, a dollar swing in any direction and we can watch the meter move."

Schwarzenegger is also proposing that the tax rate be increased to 8.75 percent for three years.

Courses, initially, would most likely tack the tax on top of existing fees, Wilson said. If players balked and rounds declined, which Wilson believes would happen, alternative pricing would have to be considered.

"That's a big increase that's going straight to the state (as opposed to being reinvested in the course)," Wilson said. "As concerned as I am about our state's economic condition, I think it's a bad way to try recoup it."

PGA Tour next for Levin

Spencer Levin, his future as a PGA Tour player in the balance, was a nervous wreck at last week's Nationwide Tour Championship in Texas.

Turns out, the 24-year-old Elk Grove resident was worried for nothing. Levin tied for 16th in the final tournament of the season, earning $15,000 to finish 22nd on the money list and earn full exempt PGA Tour status for 2009.

Levin finished almost $21,000 clear of the cutoff, meaning he didn't need to make a dime last week to qualify. He couldn't know that as the week progressed, of course.

Levin might have to change his media guide answer to the question: What's your biggest thrill in golf? "Making a putt," he replied in a way most of us can relate.

Wide World a little trimmer

The Wide World of Golf and Tennis closed its Sacramento store at 2381 Fair Oaks Blvd. two weeks ago. The closure is permanent, said Tim Howes, the regional manager who oversees the company's Roseville store.

A parking dispute was part of the problem, Howes said. The Sacramento store was open for two years. The Roseville location has been open for five years.

Call The Bee's Steve Pajak, (916) 326-5526.