Aragon girls’ golf clinches a CCS berth

The winner received the PAL’s second automatic qualifier into the CCS tournament.

For Aragon, it was old hat. The Dons have participated in the play-in tournament the last four years. But for Carlmont, it was the Scots’ first time. Additionally, the difference between the team’s two regular-season meeting was a mere three strokes — Aragon beat Carlmont 218-219 last week and beat the Dons beat them by two strokes in the their first meeting this season.

The two were joined by Burlingame, which won its second straight Ocean Division championship, but skipped participating last season.

“Last year, we didn’t really have the depth to compete,” said Burlingame co-head coach Traci Kreppel. “We’re moving up to the upper league (Bay Division) next year, so we wanted them to see what Bay competition is like.”

There would be no Cinderella finish for the Panthers, however, as Aragon held on for for the win in another close battle with Carlmont:

Aragon 214, Carlmont 227, Burlingame 236 at Poplar Creek Golf Course in San Mateo, earning the Dons their fifth straight trip to the CCS tournament.

“And I’ve only been [head coach] for five years,” quipped Aragon head coach Mike Loy. “Looking at our records, us and Carlmont match up pretty good.”

But through the first four groups, Aragon and Carlmont were separated by just three shots. After the fifth of six groups posted their scores, the Dons’ lead was down to just two strokes.

But Aragon’s final golfer, Ariel Ogawa came in with a round of 44 to push the Dons to the win.

“She likes to go out last,” Loy said.

The match was set up as six groups of three, with Aragon’s Kate Chong, Carlmont’s Tessa Lee and Burlingame’s Elaina Foley teeing off first. The trio remained within a shot of each other through the front 9 at Poplar Creek, with Foley notching the only birdie of the round at the par-4 eighth hole. All three parred the ninth and when their scores were tallied, all three finished with rounds of 3-over 38.

“You don’t see that happen too often,” Loy said.

With those three scores all but cancelling each other out, the match would be decided by the other five golfers from each team.

While Ogawa’s score may have been the clinching one, she doesn’t get the opportunity if not for the round put together by the Dons’ No. 2 golfer, Vicky Ferrero, who finished with a 6-over 41 — her best score of the season.

“Vicky came in good,” Loy said.

Ferrero had the low round in her trio, finishing three shots better than Carlmont’s Kathryn Winters, who shot a 44, to give the Dons the lead.

The Dons’ No. 3 golfer, Hannah Lin, who had one of the best putts of the day when she poured in a 25 footer from the fringe of the par-3 third hole, pushed her team’s lead to six shots after carding a round of 43, again three shots better than her Carlmont counterpart, Karuna Mungali, who finished with a 46.

But Carlmont got back in the match when its No. 4 golfer, Dakota Chang, came in with a 45, three shots better than Aragon’s Autumn Ogawa, who shot a 48. And when Carlmont’s Linsday Wong took a one-shot decision over Aragon’s Advika Singh, 54-55, the Scots were just two shots back.

But Ariel Ogawa cemented the win for the Dons.

Carlmont head coach Hari Kurup said there was not much he could do once his players got out on the course. It may be cliche, but he’s a proponent of controlling those things you can control.

“I just have them focus on working hard at practice,” Kurup said.

Aragon, meanwhile, kept is CCS streak alive.

“I’m happy for the girls,” Loy said, adding he is not getting tired of having to participate in the play-in tournament just to get to CCS.

“I’m not sick of it. It’s fun. I like the competition,” Loy said. “It’s a chance for the girls to play another round of golf.

“This is fun. Nerve wracking, but fun.”

While Burlingame came up short, the Panthers certainly held their own. Sharon Calzolai, who played in the Panthers’ last group, had her team’s second-best score of the day, finishing with a 46 to shoot the low round in her trio. Jolene Lin, playing in the group ahead of Calzolai, finished one shot behind her teammate, finishing with a 47, also better than her Aragon and Carlmont counterparts.

After missing last season, Burlingame’s Kreppel believed her team was in a better position to compete this season. She said that most of the Panthers players are frequent golfers. But playing in the Ocean Division, the Panthers did not get to use Poplar Creek as its home course, instead going the Mariners Point Golf Complex in Foster City and playing the nine-hole, par-27 executive course.

Would her team be intimidated by the bigness of Poplar Creek, compared to the confines of Mariners Point?

Not at all, Kreppel said.

“We’ve been practicing on the (Poplar Creek) course,” she said.