Tee it high, let it fly

That’s a wait of 455 days and for some, it was even longer than that.

“A little rusty,” Jadyn Gee, a junior at Mills, said after her round. “I haven’t been on the course since PALs [championships, Oct. 21, 2019]. I didn’t get a chance to play a lot during the summer.”

So while the cold, wind and rust were apparent, it didn’t take away from the simple pleasure of being back on the course and reconnecting with school and friends.

“I’m excited,” said San Mateo coach Jimmy Ikeda. “I’m glad the kids have the opportunity to come out and play and be student-athletes.”

Huang, a junior, went on to card the low round of the day in the truncated six-hole match, finishing with an even par 23. The length of the match was simply one more indicator things have not quite returned to normal. A regulation high school match is nine hole, 18 if its a league championship. But because the pandemic forced the movement of the sport from fall to late-winter, coaches and teams are dealing with conditions with which they are not familiar.

“Today was challenging,” Huang said. “I haven’t played in wind like this in a while.”

In addition to the weather conditions, there was a time element at play. The girls’ high school season normally takes place during Daylight Savings Time, giving teams more than enough daylight to get in nine holes in September and October. But in February, the match was over after six holes as the sun was rapidly setting a little after 5:30 p.m..

An accomplished junior player, Huang shot a 75-76 to capture the Hurricane Tournament championship at Rancho Solano Golf Course in Fairfield at the beginning of February. She also finished third at the 2019 PAL championships.

She opened Tuesday with a birdie on the par-5 first and followed that with a par on dogleg right second. Her tee shot on the par-3 third was blown to the right of the green and her chip to about 12 feet left a lot work to do.

But she read the big right-to-left break and softly dropped it into the cup for her par to remain at 1-under after three.

“[I tell good players] if you can get through the first three holes even (at Poplar), it (gets) easy,” Ikeda said.

So of course Huang bogeyed the next hole with her only three-putt of the afternoon to fall back to even before finishing with a pair of pars for her 23.

It’s where she left off [in 2019],” Ikeda said.

Huang was so good on the afternoon that as she, Gee and Mills’ Molly O’Dea said their farewells walking off the final green, Gee told Huang, “You’re really good.”

While Huang’s performance may have been expected, it was the round from San Mateo’s Sage Tulabing that caught Ikeda’s attention as the senior came in with a 6-over 29.

“Last year, Sage was my No. 4 (player). She’s improved,” Ikeda said. “She hit the ball straight.”

Senior Zoe Pang shot a 31 for the Bearcats, while Katie Borgeson finished with a 37.

Mills was led by freshman Kiley Chau, who finished with a 38. O’Dea was a shot behind, finishing with a 39.

“Today was mostly getting used to playing team golf. It’s nice to be with your friends,” Huang said. “Playing with teammates, connecting with people. That was the most important.”