Girls Golf
To kick off the first week back from spring break, the girls golf team squared off against Point Loma High School at Coronado Golf Course on Monday, April 5. Despite being the last day of spring break, the girls participated in their fourth league match of the season. The Islanders snagged a fairly easy victory of 209-311. Senior Mary Damian led with a three-over par 39 while freshmen Ines Izuzquiza and Bella Villarin tied with scores of 41. Freshman Jasmine Lo shot a 43, and senior Samantha Lorr posted a 45. The three freshmen are consistently proving to be essential components to the team’s success, and the Islanders look forward to having them onboard for three more years.
For the first time this season, the girls played the back nine, with a par 36 playing at 2800 yards. Its course rating is 36.5, just one tenth higher than the front nine, with a slope of 124. The front nine was under its biannual aerification of the greens, and the entire course was closed from April 6 to the 8th. The back nine has stunning views of San Diego Bay, the boat docks, and the Coronado Bay Bridge, but it proved to be as challenging as the front. For three members, it was the first time ever playing the back nine in a match, and all performed extremely well considering the circumstances.
On Thursday, April 8, the girls traveled to the prestigious San Diego Country Club to face off against the number one school in San Diego County: Mater Dei Catholic High School. The green tees played at 2700 yards and yielded a rating of 36 and a slope of 126.
According to Coach Stuart Gordon, “The greens were extremely fast, and the biggest struggle was putting.”
Most private golf courses are notorious for their fast, well-maintained greens, and San Diego Country Club was no exception. Ines, Bella, and Jasmine all tripled the ninth hole. The green was positioned at the top of a steep hill, and bordered short right and left with bunkers imposing lips no shorter than ten feet. The pin was tucked away back-right, leaving no room for error on a player’s approach shot. Ines smoked a drive down the center of the fairway, then left her approach shot short in the bunker. After hitting past the pin on her third shot, she was left in the rough with a downhill chip. Needing to get up and down for par, she left her chip short and her ball found the fringe. Putting downhill with an extremely fast green, her ball rolled past the pin. Her sixth stroke ended up within a foot of the hole and she tapped it in for a triple-bogey 7.
Bella pulled her drive slightly to the left, leaving her ball at the edge of a fairway bunker. She was forced to punch out and was left with 75 yards to the pin. Her third shot landed in the rough about five yards past the hole, and she putted downhill to leave her ball 15 feet from the pin. From there, her first putt lipped out from the left side, and she missed the following three-footer to end up with a triple-bogey 7.
Jasmine’s drive found the right fairway bunker, and she hit out successfully into the fairway. Her third shot found the right greenside bunker, and she punched it onto the green 10 feet from the hole. Like a majority of all players before her, Jasmine left her putt long. She proceeded to two-putt from there to earn a triple-bogey.
Despite the challenging pin location on the ninth hole, the girls managed to pull together a commendable round from five players. Ines led with a strong score of 40, both Bella and Jasmine shot a 42, and team captain Samantha scored a 47. The girls ended up with a 204-226 loss, but Coach Gordon was proud of the scores, considering it was the first time for many playing the course.
The girls currently stand sixth in San Diego County with a differential of 26.12. They are seeded second in Division II, behind golfing powerhouse Mater Dei. The girls have a busy week ahead with three matches scheduled. On Monday, April 12, they will compete against the Academy of Our Lady of Peace at Riverwalk Golf Club. On Wednesday, April 14, they will square off against Scripps Ranch High School and against La Jolla High School on Thursday, April 15, both matches at their home course of Coronado.
Boys Golf
The boys varsity team did not compete in any matches this week, but they are preparing for a match against Steele Canyon at Coronado on Tuesday, April 13.
The boys junior varsity (JV) team merged with three members of the girls team to compete against Point Loma at Balboa Park Golf Course on Monday, April 5. From the forward tees, the nine hole course played at 2100 yards at par 35. With six team members total, it was the first coed match of the season. Islanders lost 201-220, but there were several highlights of the day. Sophomore Mariella Avanni scored her personal best of the season with a three-over par 38. Junior Marshall Hilfman shot a 40, and sophomore Sebastiano Abbot scored a 47. Sophomore Noah Morris also fired his personal best with a 47. It was a “good overall performance” according to Coach Gordon, and the Islanders cannot wait to see what the future holds for the team! The JV team has an upcoming match against Scripps Ranch at Balboa Park Golf Course on Thursday, April 15.
Find San Diego Section girls golf standings and match results here.
Find Coronado girls golf player information and match results here.
Find San Diego Section boys golf standings and match results here.
Find Coronado boys golf player information and match results here.
