This past week the Islander Girls Varsity Golf Team competed in the 2023 City Conference Championship Tournament.
On Monday, October 16, 46 players from the Eastern and Western Leagues played 18 holes of strokeplay at Balboa Park Golf Course. The field included 12 schools, some of which had Balboa as their home course.
The Islanders put up an incredible showing at a course with narrow fairways, lightning fast greens, and cardio-testing hills. Senior Bella Villarin tied for first but lost in a card-off with a score of three-over par 75. Fellow senior Ines Izuzquiza was solo third with a 76. Sophomore Elleaire Lyons placed tenth with an 84 and senior Emily Scheurer was 15th with an 88. Sophomore Dhara Jost did incredibly well playing 18 holes for her first time and placed 38th with a score of 107.
For four of the Islanders to make the top 16 is an incredible showcase of the girls’ season-long hard work and dedication. Coronado brought home the first place trophy for the first time in Islander history with a total score of 430, besting Cathedral Catholic’s 435 and the Academy of Our Lady of Peace’s 463.
The top 16 players on Monday made the cut to matchplay. Matchplay is a format played between two competitors. After each hole, the player with the lower score is deemed “one-up.” If the players tie, they are all-square. The match ends after nine holes if a player is one or more up, but can continue to a sudden death playoff, where the player with the lower score on a hole wins.
Villarin, Izuzquiza, and Lyons all competed in matchplay on Tuesday at Balboa. Izuzquiza lost her match two and one, meaning her opponent was two-up with one hole to play. Unfortunately, Lyons was also defeated five and three. Villarin won her match four and two, advancing to the next stage.
The next day, Villarin faced a tougher match-up, but managed to pull off the win on hole twelve. On Thursday, the final four of the City Conference Match Play Championship competed at the infamous Torrey Pines North Course for their final two rounds. Villarin, seeded second, squared off against freshman Zaidi Posternack on the front nine. Villarin won her match four and two, advancing to the final round to compete for first place. Unfortunately, Villarin couldn’t make those critical putts to win a hole and she lost three and two.
It was an incredible week for the Islanders, beginning the tournament with Coronado’s first ever win and concluding with a runner-up finish for Villarin in the match play championship.
Next week, the Islanders will host their CIF play-in match against La Costa Canyon and San Dieguito Academy on Monday, October 23. If the Islanders win, the entire team will play in the CIF Championship on October 30th and November 1st.
Find CIF San Diego Section Girls Golf results here.
Find Coronado team and individual player results here.
Find 2023 Girls City Conference Championship Tournament results here.
