Aragon freshman wins PAL title

Kelly Fang, a freshman at Aragon, had three birdies shot a 35 on the front nine at Poplar Creek during the Peninsula Athletic League’s girls individual championship Tuesday and had a six shot lead over Menlo-Atherton’s Xin Fang, the two-time defending PAL individual champion.

By the time the first foursome finished the 14th hole, Xin Fang had made up the six-shot deficit and Kelly Fang was wobbling.

Kelly Fang, however, pulled it together. She made birdie on the par-3 15th and Xin Fang bogeyed the hole. Xin Fang got a stroke back at the 16th, but Kelly Fang made the one-shot lead hold as she captured the PAL championship with an 18-hole score of 76.

"I met my standards,” Kelly Fang said. "It wasn’t excessively good or bad. I wanted to shoot under 75, (but) I’ll take it (76) any day.”

Kelly Fang and Xin Fang (no relation) were two of three golfers to qualify for the Central Coast Section tournament next week in Carmel. Any individual who shot 90 or better qualified. Burlingame’s Allie Economou fired a 87 to also earn the trip to the CCS tournament. San Mateo’s Lisa Sasaki shot an 82, but she had already qualified with the San Mateo team, which captured the PAL team title by going 10-0 this season.

Xin Fang followed up her 41 on the front with a 36 on the back.

"I was surprised to play that bad (on the front 9),” Xin Fang said. "That’s like the worst I’ve shot on the front in a long time.”

Xin Fang picked up three shots alone on the 14th hole when she made birdie and Kelly Fang lost a ball in the water en route to a 7. Kelly Fang quickly recovered on the next hole, knocking her drive to within two feet of the cup. Xin Fang’s drive came up short of the green. Her second shot got her within eight feet and her par attempt lipped out and she had to settle for a bogey.

Just like that, Kelly Fang had a two-shot lead.

She stumbled again on the 16th as she chunked her drive and her second shot flew the green. She scrambled for a double bogey, but maintained her lead when Xin Fang managed only a bogey on the hole.

Xin Fang had a chance to pick up that stroke on the par-3 17th, but her birdie attempt slid agonizingly by the hole and she tapped in for par. Kelly Fang had some work to save par, but nailed a knee-knocking eight footer to keep her a stroke ahead going to the 18th.

Both Fangs finished with a par on the final hole.

"[Kelly Fang’s] such a doggone competitor,” said Aragon coach Guy Oling. "[Her 35 on the front] was her best nine of the season and it’s her first season. She enjoys the game. It’s a pleasure to have her part of our golf team.”

The San Mateo team will be making its first appearance at CCS since coach Jimmy Ikeda took over the program five years ago, thanks to a undefeated PAL season.

"I was surprised,” Ikeda said. "This is the first time the San Mateo girls have won a league championship.”

The Bearcats are anchored by a pair of seniors, Michelle Wong and Karen Wu, along with junior Kristin Kanaya and sophomore Diana Brewer.

"They’ve steadily improved every year,” Ikeda said.

What put the Bearcats over the top was the addition of Sasaki, a freshman.

"She was a super addition,” Ikeda said.