With the first full week of school in hindsight, the girls varsity golf team squared off in three grueling matches that would bring out the best in the Islanders’ mental and physical game.
On Monday, August 30, the girls varsity golf team faced off against Olympian High School at Coronado Golf Course in what was anticipated to be an easy victory against the Eagles.
Sophomore Ines Izuzquiza emerged as the top player on the team firing a score of just one-over par 37 after being even through eight holes. Fellow sophomore Bella Villarin carded a 39. Jasmine Lo and Natalia Avanni both shot scores of six-over par 42, and Mariella Avanni and freshman Malia Perry rounded out the Islanders with scores of 46. The Islanders bested 206 against the Eagles’ 242, winning the match by a long shot and carding their lowest score of their season to date.
“We finished the match in the dark, and I want to give a special commendation to Natalia because she birdied the last hole. It was our best win of the season,” Coach Stuart Gordon shared.
On Tuesday, August 31, the Islanders competed in their first league match of the year against La Jolla High School at the legendary Torrey Pines South Course. Designed by William Bell, the South Course annually holds the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open. It also hosts the San Diego City Amateur Golf Championships every June and the Junior World Golf Championships every July. Torrey Pines also hosted the 2008 U.S. Open, won by Tiger Woods, and more recently, the 2021 U.S. Open. At 7800 yards from the tips, the South Course is the longest course played in a regular PGA Tour event to date.
The Islanders were in awe of stunning views of the Pacific Ocean as well as pristine greens as they battled against windy conditions, the setting sun, and exceptionally thick rough. From the yellow tees, the front nine played at 2740 yards and held a fairly high course rating of 39.6 and a slope of 138. The par 36 proved to be a challenge for the players, but they adapted well to their conditions to collectively shoot 214. La Jolla’s team was forced to forfeit the match, so the win automatically went to Coronado.
Ines was once again medalist of the round with an impressive score of two-over par 38. Bella was next firing three-over par 39. Natalia carded a 45, and both Jasmine and Malia shot a 46. Mariella rounded out the Islanders with a score of 51.
“The South Course is much more difficult than the North Course. It was the first time to my knowledge that the girls played the South Course; in my twenty years of coaching matches have always been on the North Course. You can see how hard it is because the course rating is 39.6, but both Ines and Bella played below their handicap,” Coach Stuart described.
The third match of the week was held at the Islanders’ home course against the defending Division I team champions, Torrey Pines, perhaps Coronado’s most well-matched opponent. The Falcons dominated CIF last season and are currently ranked second in Division I. For the Islanders to go head-to-head with the Falcons, the odds were not stacked in their favor.
However, the girls would prove themselves to be formidable opponents as the one-two punch of sophomores Ines and Bella led the team to victory. Ines continued her exceptional game with a score of even-par 36. Bella carded a two-over par 38. Next was Jasmine with a score of 44, and Natalia and Malia both shot scores of 47. Mariella rounded out the Islanders with a 52.
The Islanders came out victorious by a margin of three strokes 212-215. The girls ended the week with a 3-0 record and a season record of 5-2. Ines Izuzquiza continues to be a phenomenal player amongst intimidating opponents. She is currently ranked 9th in San Diego County among 313 girls with a differential of 0.66. She is the third highest-ranked sophomore and proves that she has yet to reach the peak of her game.
“With the late tee times and several teams that had many beginners playing, it caused very late finishes,” Coach Stuart explained. “Despite this it was a successful week with our teams getting wins.”
The girls junior varsity (JV) team had their first match of the season against Scripps Ranch at Colina Park Golf Course on Wednesday, September 1. Colina Park is one of the hidden gems of San Diego. It boasts a picturesque, par 54 eighteen holes where the longest hole is just 110 yards. Perfect for short game practice, it is also the home of Pro Kids: The First Tee of San Diego where youth can learn and enjoy the game of golf.
There are five JV members including four juniors, Morgan Arendt, Jesse Hill, Audrey Slaughter, and Tatum Ware, and one freshman, Sierra Grella. The team also welcomed two new members, senior Madeline Tulagan and junior Sadie Wong.
The girls won by a great margin 393-449. The medalist of the match was freshman Sierra who carded an 81.
Next week, the girls varsity team has one match against Cathedral Catholic High School at Balboa Park Golf Course on Thursday, September 9. The junior varsity team is also scheduled to play at Mission Bay Executive Golf Course on Wednesday, September 8.
Find San Diego Section girls golf standings and match results here.
Find Coronado girls golf player information and match results here.
