By Amanda Newell
Staff Writer
The Mira Costa girls golf team selected to play in the Knabe Cup tournament on Wednesday. After six hours and 18 holes of golf, the girls beat out 18 other schools to finish in the top five.
The girls’ successful placing in the tournament prepares them for their future CIF playoff games at the end of October.
“We played real solid today,” coach Tim Kelley said. “Our scores are good enough for a post-season bearth. This play is giving us high hopes for the team we have here in the near future.”
Costa’s record now stands at 9-0 for this season, and the team will wrap up its last few league games within the week.
“For our next game, I’m hoping we break a score of 200,” Kelley said. “We have all set pretty high standards for ourselves and the team and, hopefully, we play our best against Peninsula.”
Four of the team’s usual seven girls were selected to compete in the Knabe Cup Tournament. Kelley chose juniors Kari and Raquel Gordon, and sophomores Megan Kim and Mika Pascual because of their past individual experience with the tournament and the golf course.
“I chose the top players of the team, girls that were most comfortable and already experienced with playing six hours in a row,” Kelley said. “The other three girls will definitely contribute to the team throughout our post-season run at a CIF championship.”
Kim led the Mustangs to their fifth-place finish in the tournament by shooting a 73 on the par 74 course. Pascual followed with a score of 81 overall, and Kari and Raquel Gordon added scores of 83 and 88, respectively.
“Overall, the team did well and came together as one to all do well collectively,” Kim said. “It felt really good at the end of the day to place fifth with the four girls we took to the tournament.”
As the team’s season comes to an end, the CIF Team Divisional Tournament will take place on Oct. 27, and the CIF matches for Individual Regionals, where the girls will have to qualify to compete separately, start on the 31st.
“We are going to CIF in a few weeks, and I think that we are definitely ready as a team and individualy,” Kim said. “We have been preparing all season for this opportunity, and I am confident that we will do well and make a real solid run towards a title.”
As for coach Kelley, he is fully aware that the team is playing at a high level and ready to move onto the CIF playoffs.
“I believe we will have a couple of girls qualify for Individuals,” Kelley said. “As for CIF, I have high hopes for the girls, and I am confident we will make it through the first couple of rounds. Win or lose, it’s a great experience for all of them to have.”
The team’s next game following the tournament was Oct. 13 against Peninsula High School at Chester Washington golf course, but results were not available at the date of publication.
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