TEMECULA — Diamond Bar senior girls golfer Moanikeala Finau has not had the best of results on Temecula Creek Golf Club’s layouts throughout her career.
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Dimond Bar’s Moanikeala Finau chips the ball during the CIF Southern Section girls golf individual championship at Temecula Creek Golf Club on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
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Dimond Bar’s Moanikeala Finau chips the ball during the CIF Southern Section girls golf individual championship at Temecula Creek Golf Club on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
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But things changed for the Cal State Northridge commit Thursday. Finau recorded seven birdies to just one bogey during a round of 66 on the Oaks/Creek layout that not only propelled her to a first CIF Southern Section individual championship but also sent her team to next Thursday’s CIF State regional tournament with a third-place finish.
Finau defeated Valencia’s Eliana Saga by two shots to earn the individual title. Finau is just the second Diamond Bar girls golfer to win the section’s individual title, joining Bethany Wu (2012).
“When I got here this morning, I was feeling really good about both my game and our team’s chances to advance despite all that was going on,” Finau said. “The best part about golf is that when you get out there it’s just you, the ball, and the shot in front of you and that’s all I was focused on. Even if I didn’t win today I was focused on doing everything I could to help our team advance.”
Of the 19 Inland area individuals who began play Thursday, eight others joined Finau in earning regional tournament bids.
Among that number were Murrieta Valley’s Maddie Sammon and Ayala’s Iris Soong, who survived a 10-for-4 playoff to earn spots. Sammon birdied the 336-yard, par-4 first hole to earn her spot, while Soong made a par to advance one hole later.
Los Serranos Country Club’s North Course in Chino Hills will play host to the CIF State South California regional next Thursday.
“It was going to take a near perfect round of golf for us to advance against the caliber of teams in this field, and that’s exactly what these kids delivered,” Diamond Bar coach Roberta Garcia said. “We’ve been working so hard for this opportunity and although we didn’t play very well on the North Course in the Division 1 team tournament we’ll be ready to go on Thursday.”
Finau played the Creek side — acting as the composite layout’s back nine — to start and made three straight birdies to go out in 2-under-par 34. After turning to the Oaks side, she made three birdies in a four-hole stretch between Nos. 11 and 14 to get to 5-under par.
At No. 11, Finau nearly holed an 80-yard wedge shot for an eagle, leaving a tap-in birdie putt. She attacked a back left pin at No. 13 with a short iron and flew her approach shot over the flag, sticking it to 3 feet and converting the downhill, birdie putt. She added one last birdie at the final hole, sticking a wedge shot from 100 yards to 6 feet and making the uphill putt.
“If I was walking the green at No. 4 and saw the dot where that pin was I’d definitely have marked do not go for it in the yardage book,” Finau added. “But I had a yardage that I was comfortable with, gave myself an extra margin of error by aiming towards the middle of the green and hit the perfect shot.
“I drove the ball really well today and was dialed in with my wedges and short irons, something that’s going to have to continue if I want to keep advancing.”
Southwestern League and Central Regional champion Fay Jia of Vista Murrieta started her day with back-to-back bogeys on the Creek nine. A bogey at No. 13 left her at 3-over par and within a couple of shots of that playoff. However, Jia closed with three birdies in her final six holes, including a pair at Nos. 15 and 16, to post even par 72 and finish tied for eighth with teammate Samantha Rodriguez.
Rodriguez’s score did not count among the 28 to advance because she did not earn her spot in the field via an individual regional qualifier.
Other individual qualifiers included Adelyn Choi (Western Christian) with a 74; Jessica Yue (Ayala) and Emily Zhang (Rancho Cucamonga) with 75s; Victoria Richani (Centennial) and Maleah Clark (Beaumont) with 76s in addition to the aforementioned Sammon and Soong.
Diamond Bar’s Juliet Oh also shot a 74 but already advanced via the Brahmas’ team finish.
Santa Margarita won the section team championship with a score of 359, while Orange Lutheran earned runner-up honors with a 370. Northwood was the final team to advance after shooting a 394.
