The San Benito girls golf team compiled a 428 at the TCAL Finals
Monday, and missed the cut to qualify for the CCS Finals
SALINAS
With nary a senior on their roster, the San Benito girls golf team can take their performance at Monday’s Tri-County Athletic League Finals with a different perspective than most.
Compiling a 428 over 18 holes at the par-72 Salinas Golf and Country Club, the Lady ‘Balers missed the qualifying mark of 390 – a score that would have sent them to next week’s Central Coast Section Finals, a score they missed by a single stroke last year.
But with a full team returning next season, San Benito has been provided a benchmark, a starting point. Few teams are ever given a second chance, but San Benito’s senior-less squad will have another shot.
With any luck, and with plenty of offseason practicing, coach Chris Branon notes, San Benito should only improve upon this year’s team score at next year’s TCAL Finals.
“I knew we were gonna be close,” said Branon of the fifth-place finish. “That’s a good score. Looking forward and looking to the future, that’s gonna be a 15-stroke improvement, and we won’t be sitting here wondering if we made it or not.
“But I’m proud of them.”
Jam Vilairantana earned medalist honors by shooting a 2-under 70 Monday as she paced her Stevenson team, which finished first with a 327. Santa Catalina (346) and Salinas (361) were the only other teams to make the CCS cut, while Pacific Grove’s Haley Andreas (74) and Monte Vista Christian’s Caroline Belmont (85) were the only two individual golfers to make the section cut of 97.
As a team, Pacific Grove missed the mark by finishing fourth with a 401. Monte Vista Christian (431), Notre Dame (465), Live Oak (486), Gilroy (491), Watsonville (528) and Everett Alvarez (560) rounded out the TCAL teams. North Salinas competed with only one player and did not receive a score as a result.
Scores were noticeably higher from one year ago, however, where four individuals made the cut and two teams – San Benito and Salinas – missed the CCS team mark by a combined three strokes.
Comparatively, the two teams that missed the cut this year – San Benito and Pacific Grove – fell short by a combined 49 strokes.
Branon noted the change of weather on Monday, which started pleasant but quickly cooled off and turned noticeably windier as the day progressed, as well as the difficult Salinas course.
“I think, overall, the TCAL numbers were high,” Branon said. “The golf course wasn’t playing easy as the pins were tucked, not saying Salinas did that, but there were some tough pins to get to.
“With all that said, could we have been five strokes [better]? Yeah, five strokes [better], that’s 20 strokes. That’s pretty close.”
Jordan Davies led San Benito with a 106, although she said she was disappointed afterward, despite shooting 18 strokes better compared to last year’s TCAL Finals.
“My putting could have been way better,” Davies said. “Short game and putting.”
Yumi Kimura and Katie Moeller each recorded 107s for the Lady ‘Balers. Nicole Rianda carded a 108, Jenny Glosser shot a 112, and Alexis Sanchez rounded out San Benito with a 115.
“I think I have a lot more to improve upon, but I’m happy since I’ve only been playing since August,” said Kimura, adding that she struggled with both her drives and chipping Monday. “I think [the team is] happy with what they got today, but they would like to be better.
“I think I heard everybody saying, like, ‘We’re gonna practice year-round to get better.’ We’re gonna see improvement next year.”
Year-round practice would be music to Branon’s ears, of course, but it will be a wait-and-see situation. With eight other girls from the junior varsity ranks moving up next season, though, Branon pointed to the fact that competition will be intense, as a total of 14 girls will vie for just six spots.
“What are they gonna do in the offseason?” Branon asked. “If they come back and start practice in July or August, then maybe they’re five strokes better. If they continue going on and maybe every month they get five strokes better, then we’re at that number (390), no problem.”
