For a second straight year the Palomares League showed its strength as the only area league to get a maximum of 12 spots to regional qualifying. And just like with their regular season championship race, regulation play was not enough to settle things…
Walnut’s Vivi Yen began Wednesday’s final round of the league tournament at La Mirada Golf Course with a two shot lead over reigning IE Varsity Golfer of the Year Juliet Oh of Diamond Bar after shooting 68 at Jurupa Hills Country Club on Monday.
Oh pulled even with a birdie at the 329-yard, par-4 18th hole to Yen’s bogey, forcing a sudden-death playoff for medalist honors. Yen claimed the individual championship after winning on the first hole.
Joining Yen and Oh at CIF Southern Section Central Region individual qualifying will be Walnut’s Joanna Song (72-70-142), Ayala’s Junci Zhang (70-75-145) and Jessica Yue (74-74-148), Diamond Bar’s Carol Yan (75-74-149) and Moanikeala Finau (77-74-151), Walnut’s Kaylin Rhee (78-74-152), Ayala’s Madison Soong (72-81-153), Walnut’s Brigette Wong (79-75-154), Diamond Bar’s Sherry Dai (72-82-154), and Ayala’s Iris Soong (79-76-155).
SOUTHWESTERN LEAGUE
Vista Murrieta’s Fay Jia took a six-stroke lead over Great Oak’s Skylar Earle and Murrieta Valley’s Maddie Sammon to Thursday’s final round after a 4-under par 67 on Tuesday. She successfully defended her title closing with an even-par 71 at Temecula Creek Inn’s Stonehouse/Creek composite course to shoot 138 (-4).
Sammon, the 2023 league champion, finished second, eight shots (73-73-146) behind Jia,
Earle (Great Oak) finished third at 10-over par (73-79-152). Also earning spots in Monday’s Central Region qualifier were Vista Murrieta’s Iri Chen (77-77-154), Great Oak’s Alisa Li (77-78-155) and Abby McLarney (90-73-163), Temecula Valley’s Bridget Gibney (84-80-164), Vista Murrieta’s Samantha Rodriguez (81-84-165) and Laliny Saithong (84-83-167), along with Great Oak’s Kimi Carpenter (82-86-168) and Camila Rodea (84-89-173).
Tuesday’s opening round also served as a tiebreaker to determine who earned the Southwestern League’s automatic bid to CIF Southern Section team divisional championship play after Vista Murrieta and Great Oaks shared a regular season title with 9-1 records. Vista Murrieta earned the team automatic bid after shooting a 399 (+44) to Great Oak’s 406 (+51).
BASELINE LEAGUE
Rancho Cucamonga’s Emily Zhang started Tuesday’s final round with a three-shot lead over Los Osos freshman Tora Coggin. That lead evaporated as Coggin made back-to-back birdies to start the final round, while Zhang was 1 over par after three holes. Zhang recaptured the lead with a birdie at No. 5 and then her lead returned to three shots after Coggin’s double bogey at No. 7.
Zhang successfully defended her title from last year.
Coggin is one of four golfers from the undefeated regular season champion Grizzlies to qualify for individual regional tournament play. Also joining her and Zhang at Monday’s Central Region Qualifier at Bear Valley Golf Club in Victorville are Erin Miyagishima (72-75-147), Alexis Lee (75-74=149), and Yufei Ning (86-84-170). Rounding out the Baseline League’s six qualifiers is Chino Hills’ Giselle Gomez (91-86-177).
IVY LEAGUE:
Riverside Poly’s Edison Kanatzar trailed Liberty’s Ava Carillo by two shots after the first round at General Old Golf Course on Monday. However, Kanatzar closed with a 92, which included back-to-back birdies on the back nine in Wednesday’s final round to win her first league title with a two-day total of 136 (44-92). Carillo earned runner-up honors after shooting 139 (42-97), while Poly’s Katherine Salazar (47-98) and the Liberty’s Rachel de la Hoya (47-98) shared third at 145.
CITRUS BELT LEAGUE
Beaumont’s Maleah Clark shot an opening-round, 2-under par 70 at Arrowhead Country Club, using back-to-back birdies at Nos. 2 and 3 to overcome an opening double bogey, and rolled to her second straight Citrus Belt League championship after a final round 73. Her two day total of 143 (-1) was 49 shots better than runner-up Braylon Reyes of Redlands Easy Valley (91-101-192). Also earning Central Regional qualifying spots from the Citrus Belt League were the Redlands duo of Arianna Azurin (98-102-200) and Madison Lee (95-107-202).
MOUNTAIN PASS LEAGUE
Temescal Canyon’s Breanna Noble took a four-shot lead after round one and won by 13 shots with a 27 hole total of 110 (+2) after shooting a final round 1-under par 71 at Legends Golf Club in Temecula. Earning runner-up honors was Elsinore’s Zaylee Wheelock with a total of 123 (46-77). Noble’s Temescal Canyon teammate and last year’s champion Addisyn Myers finished third after shooting 125 (42-83), while Trinity Wheelock of Elsinore rounded out the qualifiers with a total of 132 (44-88).
RIVER VALLEY LEAGUE
Ramona freshman Audrey Flores led by six shots over Patriot’s Zoe Anderson after an opening round 41 at Green River Golf Club and shot a final round 82 at Green River Golf Club to prevail by 13 shots with a 2-day total of 123 (41-82). Patriot’s Abigail Smith earned runner-up honors with a total of 136 (49-87). Anderson was third (47-93-140), Ramona’s Daphne Pearce (48-98-146) also advanced to the regional qualifier.
SUNBELT LEAGUE
Arlington freshman Madaline Richards shot a 5-over par 40 to take the lead after Monday’s opening nine holes at Hemet Golf Club and finished with a 91 in Wednesday’s 18-hole finale to win by 19 shots over Hillcrest’s Sierra Siracusa (52-98-150). Hillcrest’s Lina Noor finished third at 157 (50-107) while teammate Miya Martinez earned the final bid with a total of 162 (57-105).
