The Tri County Athletic League leading Monte Vista Christian
Mustangs’ women’s golf team visited the Ridgemark Golf Course last
week looking to wrap up the league.
The Tri County Athletic League leading Monte Vista Christian Mustangs’ women’s golf team visited the Ridgemark Golf Course last week looking to wrap up the league.
Laying in wait on the Gavilan course at Ridgemark were the defending champion San Benito Haybalers bent on making the Mustangs earn their place atop the league in the upcoming TCAL tournament.
Under the gentle rays of the sun and watchful eyes of coaches, the Haybalers played their best match of the season in a 192-198 losing effort to the Mustangs last Thursday.
“The girls played as a team today,” said Haybalers Coach Nark Tinder. “It was the closest anyone has come to beating them.”
Technically, the Mustangs did lose one match this year after one of its players filled out a scorecard incorrectly in a match against Robert Louis Stevenson. But with the win, the Mustangs wrapped up the TCAL title and await the start of the Central Coast Section playoffs. The rest of the league will battle it out Monday in the TCAL tourney for second through six.
In order to finish second the women have to come into the clubhouse a few strokes better than the Salinas Cowboys, who will host this Monday’s tournament at the Salinas Country Club. Players will tee off at 12:30 p.m.
If the Haybalers approach the TCAL’s in the same manner it did the Mustangs, positive things should happen on the Salinas course for San Benito.
Last week Sara Tiffany, a senior, turned in one her best scores of the year when she shot a 44 on the tricky Gavilan course. Tiffany did an excellent job of driving the ball down the fairways but had a little trouble on the putting greens.
Her misfortunes on the greens, along with the sharp play of the MVC women, factored into the tight loss. On the seventh hole of the Gavilan Course, Tiffany needed three putts to close out the hole after hitting two sound shots to come within reach of the greens.
As Tiffany’s short game floundered, however, the short game of Hillary Williams, the Haybalers’ No. 2 golfer, bloomed. She followed the coach’s game plan to perfection, only three-putting once in nine holes. Williams carded a 49, an improvement from her last match.
Johni Kiesewetter, who shot a 51, and Kelly Larson’s 54 rounded out the top four Haybalers, whose scores counted toward the team score. Corryn Pacheco and Ashly Cullumber each shot 55.
“I’m so proud of them, said Tinder. “It was a good match.”
