South Placer Girls Golf Roundup: Grizzlies, Panthers and Timberwolves all off to solid starts

We are about at the midpoint of the fall 2022 girls' golf season and there are a number of local teams and individuals who have performed well over the first few matches and duals. Here is a look at how everyone has been playing. Sierra Foothill League The Granite Bay Grizzlies are coming off of winning the state championship in 2021 and despite graduating two seniors, they are still undefeated to start the 2022 season, following a 200-210 win against Rocklin High on Sept. 15. The Lady Grizzlies were led by junior Tavia Burgess who shot a one-over-par round of 36 on the front nine at Whitney Oaks Golf Club. Following Burgess was junior Lauren Pierce and freshman Emerson Kim each with a score of 40. For the Lady Thunder, they were led by junior Lexi Booras who shot a two-under-par round of 33. Booras also shot a 33 on Sept. 13 in a match against Folsom High at Empire Ranch Golf Club. She earned All-League honors last season and finished in the Top 5. "My putting felt really good today and I was making some long birdie putts," Booras said. "My approach shots got really close and that gave me the opportunity to make some putts. The Most Valuable Player is one of my goals and another goal is to shoot under par every round I play." Following Booras were Kate Phelan and Kate Hough, who both shot 42. Both teams will compete in the first 18-hole league tournament at Timber Creek Golf Course in Roseville on Oct. 4, along with Whitney, Del Oro, Oak Ridge and Folsom High schools. The Whitney Wildcats are 1-2 in league play, following a 195-232 loss against Oak Ridge on Tuesday. Whitney High has been led by freshman Stella Kim and junior Sophia Molinaro. The Del Oro Lady Eagles have yet to win a league dual but have been improving in every match. Their top players so far have been junior Sydney Hoyt, Ellie Davis and Clara Stromberg. Foothill Valley League The Foothill Valley League had its first 18-hole league tournament on Tuesday at Timber Creek Golf Course in Roseville where the West Park Panthers took first with a team score of 492, 49 strokes better than Lincoln, which finished second. Lily Smith led the way for the Panthers with a 95 while Lillian Wallace shot a 97, Julianne Macaspac finished at 98 and Brooklyn Barton broke 100 with a 99. The Oakmont Vikings placed fifth with a team score of 583 and were led by senior Jeslyn Sun who, like Smith, tied for the fourth-lowest round of the day with a 95. Naudia Calacal finished behind Sun with a 115 while Kyra Lenakakis shot 120. Oakmont High is 1-2 in league duals, defeating Ponderosa but losing to Lincoln and West Park. Capital Valley Conference The Capital Valley Conference played their first 18-hole league tournament on Monday at River Oaks Golf Club in Nicolaus where the Woodcreek Timberwolves finished second with a team score of 444, only 11 strokes behind first-place Inderkum. Woodcreek High has yet to lose a dual this season and played multiple Sierra Foothill League teams in the preseason. The Lady Timberwolves were led on Monday by sophomore Natalie Ang, who shot a nine-over-par 80, the second lowest round of the day. All teams also had to play in wet conditions as it rained at a couple of different points during the round. "I think that my putting was pretty good, considering the greens are not the best right now," Ang said. Ang played in multiple First Tee tournaments over the summer and had five Top 25 performances including one Top 10. "It definitely got me prepared to play with other people that I don't know and also work on sportsmanship in general," Ang said. Lauren Schmidt came in with an 85 for the Timberwolves while Ellie Larson shot a 92. Rounding out the Top 5 Woodcreek High was Devyn Oberbillig with a 93 and Coral Mathis with a 94. Roseville High finished fourth out of five teams with a team score of 543. Katie Sessano led the way with a 100 while freshman Jasmine Hale shot a 102. The Lady Tigers are 3-2 in league duals so far this season. Sierra College The Lady Wolverines placed fourth in their second Big 8 Conference 18-hole tournament of the season on Tuesday at Whitney Oaks Golf Club. Sierra College shot a team score of 390 and were led by sophomore and Lincoln High alumna Chelsea Wilson with a 93. Behind her were Natalie Armbrust and Sharon McFarland, both with a 96 while Kayla Hary shot a 105. The team also finished fourth at an 18-hole tournament at Bing Maloney Golf Course on Sept. 13 where Armbrust shot an 82 and Wilson finished with an 84. Their next 18-hole Big 8 Tournament will be next Thursday at Chardonnay Golf Club.