Girls’ varsity golf is currently the only undefeated team in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Ocean Division. On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the team beat undefeated Sequoia High School 177-190. The following day, Capuchino High School forfeited its match against Burlingame. The Panthers continued their streak on Tuesday, Sept. 30, by defeating El Camino High School and Sequoia in a three-way match. They are now left with an impressive 6-0 PAL record.
Head coach Michelle Riley said a large factor in the team’s success against Sequoia came down to keeping a resilient mindset during high-pressure moments. Burlingame started off slow with a couple of shots above par, while Sequoia’s lead player came out with back-to-back strong performances. Later, however, Burlingame took the lead with tighter play, and Sequoia fell behind with their shots.
“Sequoia was undefeated, as were we, and there’s that added mental pressure when you go out there and you’re realizing whoever wins this match will be undefeated from there,” Riley said. “I think that was what was most impressive… a couple of our players started out with not their best shots or their best time on that course, and then their scores continued to drop, and Sequoia had the exact opposite, where their lead player started out with a two, and then three, and then four, and then five.”
Junior Elaina Foley shot a course total of 29 — only two over par, and at that point the lowest recorded score from PAL golf at the Mariner’s Point course. Freshman Jolene Liu followed with an impressive 31, and the remaining four girls held their weight with strong overall performances.
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, only two of six players from Capuchino arrived, leading to a forfeit. Though they were expecting a match, the Panthers’ group of six girls completed every hole as practice.
“We’re still going to use it as a learning opportunity, right? And so one of the things we’re also working on is, in golf, you have to not only keep your score, but keep your opponent’s score,” Riley said. “Say they shot lower than what you counted: you have to challenge them on that. And so I think that’s also a really important skill for players to have, especially females, to hold people accountable and be able to use your voice and stand up for yourself.”
Riley said Burlingame anticipated a challenging match against El Camino and Sequoia — the third and second strongest teams in their division, respectively — on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
“We’re playing both Sequoia, which was previously undefeated before we defeated them, and El Camino, which we tied last year for league,” Riley said. “That’s going to be a big, important one for us.”
During the game, the Panthers performed even stronger compared to their previous win at Mariners Point against Sequoia. Foley beat her previous record with an on-par score of 27, and Liu once again came in strong with 31 points. Burlingame finished with a grand total of 169, beating out Sequoia’s 189 and El Camino’s 201.
Despite only five members returning to the team this year, girls’ golf continues to live up to expectations with strong games and a dominant season.
“Even though it’s a new team, we all have good chemistry, and we all play well together,” senior Chloe French-Evans said.
