Dons punch ticket to CCS

The bad news was the Dons were a bit disappointed to be playing that CCS qualifying round at all. Aragon and Carlmont had both finished the season 9-1 and split the two matches between them.

But the Scots were awarded the top seed out of the PAL and a bye into the CCS tournament. That left Aragon and third-place Mills to battle it out for the final automatic playoff berth from the league.

“Carlmont had a lower differential,” said Aragon head coach Mike Loy, referring the number assigned to a team based on team score and the difficulty of the course.

Burlingame, the PAL Ocean Division champ, declined to play in Tuesday’s round, Loy said.

Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the Dons went out and shot their lowest round in four years as they beat the Vikings 211-233 at Poplar Creek Golf Course in San Mateo.

“Two-eleven is the best score since I’ve been coach,” Loy said, who took over the program four seasons ago and whose team qualified for CCS for the fourth year in row. “But I was worried (about Tuesday’s round). You never know who is going to show up.”

Mills’ No. 1 golfer, Angelina Chen, certainly showed up, as the junior went out and carded a 4-over 39. Aragon countered, however, with No. 2 golfer Kate Chong — also a junior, who also finished with 39.

“I was waiting for that (strong round),” Loy said of Chong’s performance, a golfer he compared to former pro Michelle Wie when she got to Aragon as a freshman.

Those scores cancelled each other out on the team scores, but Aragon took the lead after the first foursome finished as Hannah Lin’s 43 was three shots better than Kayli Tsang’s 46.

Chong and Lin have battled for the No. 1 spot for the Dons this season, but on Tuesday, it was Lin in the No. 1 spot and Chong at No. 2.

"Kate is pretty calm," Loy said. "She can go anywhere (in the lineup)."

And then Aragon steadily pulled away. The Dons’ final golfer of the day, sophomore Ariel Ogawa playing in the six hole, came up with the second-best round of the day, carding a 5-over 40. Twin sister Autumn Ogawa finished with a 44 and Sofia Dioli rounded out the scoring with a 45 for Aragon.

While Chong had the best round, Loy was happy to see the rest of his team play some of their best golf of the season. He was especially impressed with Autumn Ogawa’s 44.

“That’s bogey golf,” Loy said.

Christina Chen was the only other golfer to break 50 for Mills the freshman finished with a 47. Joey Situ was right on 50 and Katie Chun a shot back with a 51.

Mills’ Angelina Chen and Aragon’s Chong were neck-and-neck through all nine holes. They both opened with pars on the par-5 first, before both bogeyed the par-4 No. 2. At the par-3 third, Angelina Chen and her teammate, Tsang, both had birdie putts, while Chong came up short of the green and eventually bogeyed the hole.

Angelina Chen’s birdie putt came up short, however, and she settled for par to give her a one-shot lead.

Chong was out of position frequently Tuesday, but she scrambled to get up and down, and always seemed to come up with a shot when she needed it. While she didn’t record a birdie on the day, she kept her round from blowing up by countering four bogeys with five pars.

Angelina Chen, after a par on the fourth hole, double-bogeyed the par-3 fifth to drop a shot back of Chong before she had back-to-back bogeys at six and seven.

Chong could not take advantage, however, as she bogeyed Nos. 5 and 7.

At the par-4 eighth, Chen pulled off the shot of the round in a case of being lucky is sometimes better than good.

Chen blasted her drive and left herself a short chip to the elevated green. But she sculled her chip attempt — a rising line drive that seemed destined to overshoot the green. Instead, the ball hammered into the front collar of the green, checking the ball up and depositing it softly on the green —  about six feet from the cup, giving Angelina Chen another birdie putt.

This time, she didn’t miss as she poured it in. Angelina Chen and Chong both parred the par-5 ninth to finish with identical 39s.

Despite falling short as a team, Mills still has a chance to qualify individuals for the CCS tournament at the PAL championship next Tuesday at Poplar Creek. The 18-hole round begins at noon.