Following last week’s northern individual regional tournament, Valencia’s Kara An advanced to the individual championship alongside West Ranch’s Aubrey Lee, who finished the regional as the runner-up with a 64 (-6).
Lee, who’s a freshman, was one of two golfers from the Foothill League who finished in the top 24 to advance to the Southern Section’s individual championship after posting a 6-under score at the Los Robles Green golf course in Thousand Oaks.
After the runner-up finish, Lee spoke to The Signal and said that the second-place result left her confident that she could compete among the best.
“Finishing runner-up really meant a lot to me. It really helps me refocus on my game and know that I can do this,” Lee said. “Confidence, in my opinion, is one of the hardest things to come by. So, I think this was crucial for my game play in the long run.”
Valencia’s Kara An, who’s committed to playing women’s collegiate golf at Clemson University, shot a total score of 72 (+2) on Wednesday’s qualifier. With a 2-over par round, An finished 17th and advanced to the individual championship.
As for the rest of the Foothill League golfers who participated in the northern individual regional tournament, West Ranch’s Phoebe Tsao finished outside the top 24 qualification as she ended the day 31st with a total score of 75 (+5).
West Ranch’s Khloe Mong shot a total score of 78 (+8) and ended 44th in the standings with fellow Willdcat Zoe Grief finishing in 56th in the standings with a total score of 81 (+9).
In 62nd place, Valencia’s Ken Silva posted a total score of 82 (+12) with Saugus’ Ruby Johnson, who’s been the leading golfer for the Centurions through the season, ending the day in 69th with a total score of 83 (+13).
Valencia’s Leeanne Park ended Wednesday’s round with a total score of 84 (+14) and in 73rd place as Vikings’ teammate Kiara Jang shot an 86 (+16) and placed 80th.
West Ranch’s Eva Lee ended Wednesday’s round with a total score of 87 (+17) and finished 85th in the standings.
Both An and Lee are set to continue their individual seasons at the individual championship, set to be held on Thursday at the Skylinks golf course in Long Beach with tee time scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
The top 28 players from the Southern Section’s individual championship on Thursday will advance to the Southern State Regional Championship on Nov. 12 at the Los Serranos country club in Chino Hills.
Lee will be looking to build upon momentum and is confident in her ability to extend her season and keep playing championship-level golf.
“Preparing now until next week’s championship is not going to change,” Lee said. “I have faith and trust in the work I put in and how it will play out.”
