It’s going to be a fight for the championship this season as both West Ranch and Valencia girls’ golf are neck and neck for the Foothill League title.
Valencia defeated West Ranch by one stroke at the Vista Valencia golf course, as the Vikings shot a total team score of 183 and the Wildcats came up short as they shot 184 on Wednesday.
“I’ve been coaching golf since 2009 for boys and girls, and I’ve never seen the league tournament in the season be this close,” Valencia coach Robert Waters said. “It’s just been really fun to watch.”
In the fourth round, Valencia golfer Eliana Saga was a co-medalist alongside her teammate Lauren Silva, who both shot 31 (-2).
And with the Vista Valencia golf course being three holes shorter than other courses, an extra three is added to the total scores for individual players.
Saga leads all golfers in individual play with a total of 103, and in second is her teammate Kara An, who has a score of 107.
In the third round on Tuesday, Valencia edged out West Ranch for the win with a total score of 194, as the Wildcats came in second with a score of 203.
Despite the narrow loss in both tournaments this week for West Ranch, head coach Jeff Holen is eager to get back on the green next week to settle the score.
“When you play six players and score five and only lose one stroke, you tip your hat to Valencia and say that was a good round for both of us,” Holen said. “So, I told them that they have it in them to gain or save those strokes in each round next week.”
In the fourth round, West Ranch golfers Kathryn Mong and Phoebe Tsao each shot a 32 (-1) and their teammate Chloe Busnawi, who is third in the total standings, wasn’t far behind with a total score of 33 (E).
“I’m impressed with how Kathryn and Chloe have gone toe to toe with two future Division I golfers and keep us right there with Valencia,” Holen said. “Along the same lines, we have Phoebe Tsao, a freshman assisting the seniors by matching up with their No. 3 player, also a college commit golfer [Lauren Silva].”
As for the rest of the standings in the fourth tournament, Saugus placed third with a score of 243 with the team’s highest score coming from Khloe Guerro, who shot a 36 (+3).
Hart wasn’t far behind as the team placed fourth with a total score of 233, and Elsie Craig-Forcum led her teammates with a score of 40 (+7).
Golden Valley and Canyon placed fifth and sixth with their golfers Khloe Jones 47 (+14) and Amelia Sivaborvorn 56 (+23), respectively.
Castaic placed a no score, as the Coyotes did not have the minimum number of players (five) to record a total team score.
Addalyn Fractor led all Castaic golfers who competed with a score of 46 (+13).
With the competition so close at the top, both Waters and Holen are ready for what next week has to offer, as they are motivating their teams and believe their players are ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
“Our motto this whole year has been nothing is guaranteed,” Holen said. “And every stroke matters, so being that every stroke matters, we need to play smart, conserve strokes when we’re in trouble, be aggressive when we can and make sure to protect the field by making sure your opponents are playing every ball correctly.”
“You can’t control what the opponent does. It’s about you and the golf course. And so, you got to block all that other stuff out and just play golf,” said Waters when asked about the message to his golfers when the competition is so close. “Just do your thing. And that’s easier said than done, but we have the ability to do that. So, we’ll see between us [Valencia] and West Ranch next week, who can do that the best? And whoever can do that the best will be the one that comes out on top.”
Originally, the fifth round was set to take place on Tuesday at the Sand Canyon Country Club but due to the weather forecast projecting rain, the match has been moved to Wednesday.
