On Oct. 22, the Aragon girls golf team (9-1-0) took down Mills (6-4-0) in a Central Coast Section qualifiers match, ending with a score of 211 to Mills 233. The match took place at Poplar Creek golf course, where the two teams battled it out over the front nine holes for a spot in playoffs.
The Dons, tied for first in Peninsula Athletic League with Carlmont, were hoping to bypass the qualifying round altogether, but ended up having to compete due to Carlmont’s lower differential in league, which landed them the top seed and a bye into CCS. Taking the challenge in stride, the Dons ended up beating the Vikings by 22 strokes, improving upon their previous win of 13 strokes against Mills a week before.
“For the team, we did really well,” said junior Hannah Lin. “We got the lowest score ever of the season.”
The top scorers for each side, Aragon junior Kate Chong and Mills junior Angelina Chen, ended in a tie, both scoring a 39. However, Lin, Aragon’s No. 1 golfer for the season, finished with a 43, three strokes below Mill’s Kayli Tsang’s score of 46, putting the Dons ahead after the first foursome.
“I think I did okay,” Lin said. “I usually score better than that, but it wasn’t the worst outcome.”
The Dons’ second foursome also came out on top, with Aragon senior Sophia Dioli and sophomore Autumn Ogawa scoring a combined total of 89, eight strokes lower then their Mills opponents.
After a great shot on hole seven landing her on the green, Dioli was able to put it away in two strokes earning her the par.
“I started focusing on the putt, which way it was gonna roll and how fast I thought it was gonna be,” Dioli said. “There was a lot of excitement because usually that never happens, but focusing on the next shot is something that I’ve been trying to work on.”
It wasn’t just her own performance that made hole seven stand out.
“Everybody in the foursome actually got on the green on that one,” Dioli said.“So that was a really cool moment, because … that is something you never see.”
The third group, senior Addison Padian and Ariel Ogawa maintained Aragon’s strong lead, ending 15 strokes below the Mills pair, securing the Dons spot in playoffs.
‘“The eighth hole stood out for me,” Padian said. “Usually that one’s really difficult for some people, but I ended up getting a par.”
When deciding the pairs, Loy prioritizes compatibility over skill, striving to put together players who perform well with each other. However, this season he felt he could pair any two players together for a good result, a reflection of the camaraderie and closeness of the team.
“We all get along really well,” Lin said. “Especially for our Carlmont Games, everyone gets really stressed, and so we’re really good at making sure everyone’s feeling okay.”
Moving forward, the girls shift their focus to individual PAL qualifiers.
“I’m definitely working a lot on my short game,” Dioli said. “That’s where I lose a lot of strokes, but again, also working on my confidence and no matter what the outcome is, trying to be proud of how I played.”
Like Dioli, Lin also wants to work on her short game, in addition to improving her overall accuracy.
“I want to try to be more consistent,” Lin said. “Lately I’ve been having good shots, and then, the next one would be really bad, and I’m having a hard time telling what’s going wrong.”
Girls golf will compete at PAL Championships on Oct. 29 at Poplar Creek Golf Course.
