Peñaloza: CdM girls’ golf team remains perfect
Without one of the best young players in the country, the Corona del Mar High girls’ golf team has continued its perfect start to the season.
The Sea Kings don’t have the services of Alyaa Abdulghany, who is one of three players representing the U.S. at the World Junior Girls Championship in Canada. The tournament began on Tuesday, the same day CdM beat University, 197-206, in a key Pacific Coast League match at Newport Beach Country Club, helping the Sea Kings improve to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in league.
“She’s going to another tournament right after that one,” CdM Coach Mike Starkweather said of Abdulghany, who will compete in the 19th Nick Faldo Series Grand Final in Germany. “Both of the tournaments are by invite only, so it’s really an honor for her. [Her CdM teammates] are really behind her and we’re just going to have to play without her until she comes back on Oct. 3.”
The only CdM match Abdulghany, a junior, missed was the University one, but a familiar face led the way for the Sea Kings. Amy Matsuoka finished with a two-under-par 33, earning medalist honors.
Starkweather said Matsuoka has medaled or co-medaled in each of CdM’s matches. Not bad for someone who didn’t play for CdM last year because she wanted to concentrate on academics.
“We have one of the best one-two punches in CIF,” Starkweather said of Abdulghany and Matsuoka, adding that Abdulghany is leaning toward committing to USC, while Matsuoka, a senior, is bound for Oregon. “But we also have a couple of other girls [that are good] and the rest of the team is working really, really hard to get better.
“This could be the best girls’ team that Corona del Mar has ever produced.”
Starkweather would know. He has been at the helm of CdM since the CIF Southern Section sanctioned girls’ golf as a sport in 1998.
Other CdM contributors are senior Gabby Finear, freshman Celine Niu, senior Sarah Reynoso, junior Sophie Song and freshman Gia Finear. Those names, along with Matsuoka, hope to keep the Sea Kings undefeated until Abdulghany returns to the U.S.
Abdulghany is tied for 20th place at the World Junior Girls Championship at five-over-par 149. The third round begins Thursday.
While Abdulghany is in Canada, CdM has a league match against Northwood at Oak Creek Golf Club on Thursday at 4 p.m.
“We have some tough ones coming up,” said Starkweather, who included Friday’s prestigious Rainbow Sandals Lady Triton Invitational at San Clemente Municipal Golf Course at 12:30 p.m.
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•Newport Harbor Coach Scott Tarnow believes he has the golfer to make it to the CIF State finals for the first time under his watch.
Grace Ferrell is back for her senior year, and Tarnow said Ferrell has the same kind of talent Natalie Draganza displayed 11 years ago, when Draganza almost advanced to state, missing it by two strokes.
“She’s one of the best players in [Orange County],” Tarnow said of Ferrell.
Like Draganza, Ferrell won multiple league MVP awards, Draganza three times in the Sea View League and Ferrell twice in the Sunset League. A year ago, Ferrell medaled a dozen times, tops in the county.
Ferrell has already finished with the top score four times this season, three coming in Sunset League play. While she has gotten off to a great start, the Sailors are only 1-2 in league.
Tarnow, who is in his 16th year in charge of the Sailors, brings back his entire team from last year, when Newport Harbor placed third in league. Other Newport Harbor seniors to look out for are Tehya Corona, Madison Fernandez, Teanna Herrera and Jaci DeFeo. The team also has a strong freshman in Nicole Nesbitt.
“We have the opportunity to win them all,” Tarnow said of the team’s remaining league matches. “We beat Fountain Valley [in our league opener], lost to Los Alamitos, and then lost a [238-240] heartbreaker to Huntington Beach.
“[Ferrell] wants to lead the team. She wants to make it to state.”
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•Estancia and Costa Mesa opened Orange Coast League action on Wednesday on the Mesa Linda course at Costa Mesa Country Club.
For the Mustangs, the match was their first of the season, while the Eagles had four nonleague contests under their belt.
“We started a week and a half ago,” said Marlon Liotta, who is sharing the Costa Mesa coaching duties with Casey Swanson for the second straight year.
The Mustangs, who didn’t win in league last year, finished with a team score of 281, losing their head-to-head matchups with Estancia (238), Laguna Beach (236) and Calvary Chapel (256) on Wednesday.
Before the start of league, Estancia played bigger schools, home-and-away matches with Fountain Valley and Long Beach Millikan, and lost each time. Despite the slow start, Jeff Perry, in his fifth season in charge of the Eagles, likes his team this year.
Five of Perry’s girls played on last year’s team that placed second in the four-team league. Perry is counting on the likes of juniors Bella Rosete, Priscilla Arreola and Violet Amrine, and sophomores Katie Kuttler and Brooke Sanders.
Perry said Sanders, who has been out with a back injury, should be back next week. The Eagles will need her then. They play three times, on the road against Calvary Chapel at Mile Square Golf Course on Monday at 3 p.m., at home against Calvary Chapel, Laguna Beach and Costa Mesa at Costa Mesa Country Club at 3 p.m., and on the road against Laguna Beach at Aliso Creek Golf Club on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
Two other players Perry is excited about are Darby Lester, a junior who is playing golf for the first time, and sophomore Analyssa Cowie.
The Mustangs feature seven players, three down from a year ago. Three are returners, senior Paige LaBare and sophomores Jillian Zuniga and KC Rosette. Another player is senior Selena Mohammed, who played two years ago for Costa Mesa.
