Hillsdale's Ashlyn Johnson claims PAL girls' golf title

“I felt great,” Johnson said, who played seven rounds in Hawaii, finishing fifth out of 30 players in the tournament. “I was more focused (Tuesday) than my last round in Hawaii. After Hawaii, I knew I had PALs and didn’t want to fool around.

“I wanted to be the first female Hillsdale Knight to even win a PAL (individual golf championship). I’m proud of what I accomplished.”

Johnson recorded the low round in every match she played for Hillsdale this season and was the top seed going into the PAL championship. She proved just how solid her game was when after a monster drive on the par-5 10th, she hit an 8-iron from 149 yards to about 10 feet from the pin. She missed her eagle putt, however, having to settle for a birdie.

Aragon freshman, Kate Chong, played in the first group with Johnson and Carlmont’s Kiana Flores. Johnson said she was keeping Chong’s score, along with hers, so she knew where she stood.

Chong ended up finishing second, with an 81.

“She was making all her 10 footers (putts). I was like, ‘Wow!,’” Johnson said. “She’s really good. … I tried to play it smart to make sure I didn’t blow up on a hole. I almost treated it like match play.”

Flores, the third member of the group, finished third, carding a round of 91. Woodside’s Katlyn Fung finished fourth with a 93 and Aragon’s Sophia Dioli came in with a 96.

Having all but wrapped up the title by the time she got to the 18th, Johnson said all she could do was laugh when her approach hit the flag stick — and rolled into the water.

“It was one of the best irons that I hit on the day,” Johnson said. “It bounced like 10 feet in front of the hole, hit the pin and rolled off into the water.

“That was unfortunate. I just laughed it off. But I was kind of frustrated. I could have had a birdie or par for a 74.”

WBAL championships

Crystal Springs Uplands, which finished the regular season as the second-place finisher, accomplished the same at the WBAL championships, with a pair of Gryphons finishing second and third, individually, in their first ever WBAL tournament at Sunnyvale Municipal Monday afternoon.

2022 is the inaugural season for girls' golf at Crystal.

Crystal’s Olivia Lee, a sophomore, finished second with a 1-over 71. Her teammate, freshman Claire Zhong, was a shot back with a 2-over 72.

Harker added the individual and team tournament titles to its West Bay Athletic League regular-season championship. Claire Chen shot a 2-under 68 to earn the individual title.

Menlo’s Joelle Kim finished in a tie for fifth, with Castilleja’s Norah Yang, with a 4-over 74. Mercy-Burlingame’s Eva Denten, a senior, and Jaylyn Remolona, a junior, finished seventh and eighth, with rounds of 77 and 78, respectively.

Cami Yen, a sophomore from Nueva, tied for eighth with Remolona, also carding a 78. Menlo's Hailey Kim was 10th with a 79.