Girls Golf Perseveres Through Unexpected Loss Against Woodbridge High

Katelyn Wong and Alice Ahn | 59 Views

Sophomore Katie Tseo tees off on the fourth hole. “Most of the girls played way above their averages,” head coach Wind Ralston said. “These [high] scores are gonna come out every once in a while — you just don’t expect them to come out with all the girls on the same day.”

Girls golf (12-5) faced a close loss against Woodbridge High with a score of 202-204 on Oct. 16 at their home range in Rancho San Joaquin. The Bulldogs will advance to CIF Individual Championships at Los Serranos on Oct. 28.

The match began slowly, with most players bogeying the first hole, which is typically expected to be shot on par. Sophomore Katie Tseo said that the rocky start set the tone for the rest of the match.

“It wasn’t that specific holes were hard, but mentally, I felt kind of challenged,” Tseo said. “Whenever I have a bad hole, the feeling just kind of carries on.

The game was tight, with both teams matching each other nearly shot for shot. By the final hole, the match was neck and neck at just two holes apart, but it proved difficult for the Bulldogs as each player bogeyed or worse. The Bulldogs’ usual team balance faltered in the final stretch, leaving little room for recovery and ultimately tipping the outcome in the Warriors’ favor.

“Usually, it’s one or the other — if another player plays bad, I’ll clutch up and play well; if I play bad, she’ll clutch up and play well,” Tseo said. “But the entire team just kind of played really bad as a whole.”

Captain and sophomore Mason Ip was a standout player in the match, finishing her round in the thirties despite the team’s overall struggles.

“My mental game is really a huge part of [playing] consistently, and just staying optimistic and positive, even when things aren’t going your way, can help improve the game,” Ip said.

From being on track for a guaranteed solo championship to having to share the title with the Warriors, the loss placed the Bulldogs in a tough position. The setback motivated the Bulldogs to refine their practice approach and fight harder at league finals on Oct. 21, where they secured a win and advanced to CIF Individuals.

“The girls have realized that some of the things that they were lenient with in their practice actually need focus now,” Ralston said. “You can focus on one thing, like driving the ball, but then your irons won’t be as good. You can focus on swinging a good swing, [but] when you get down to your short game, it won’t be any good. They need to focus on all of those at the same time, and to do that, we need smarter practice.”

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About the Contributors

Katelyn Wong, Staff Writer

Katelyn Wong is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she plans to use her love of visual arts, storytelling, and reading books to write moving pieces for Portola’s newspaper. When she’s not reading copious amounts of textbook pages for APUSH, you can find her in her studio working on a painting or perfecting her sourdough recipe. She is very excited for her first year on Pilot and can’t wait to challenge herself by expanding her writing and interviewing skills.

Alice Ahn, Editor-in-Chief

Alice Ahn is an Editor-in-Chief for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. Beyond proofreading her writing an unhealthy number of times, Alice frequents novels with entrancing titles but mediocre plots — and conversely, movies with plain titles that destroy you. She is equally excited and sentimental about her senior year, and will miss this forever.