Sammon: Par 35-36=71 at 5,187 yards
Hemet – Lauren Sammon’s length can be an advantage on any golf course she plays. At Hemet Golf Club, which is serving as the host for this year’s Southwestern League girls’ golf tournament, it resulted in the Lady Broncos standout having wedges and short irons into most of the par 4s.
However, she went without a birdie until the par 4 eighth hole (getting up and down from hardpan just right of the green) and added an eagle at thirteen (sticking a nine iron from the left hardpan to fifteen feet) with one more birdie at sixteen to post -3 (68). She’ll hold a seven-shot lead over Great Oak’s Brooke Carpenter who shot an opening round 75 (+4).
“There were a lot of missed putts today but once that putt at thirteen went in I gained some confidence on the way in,” says Sammon. “I wasn’t seeing lines well on the front nine. Then on the back I took deep breaths to refocus, and the putts started dropping. Our school has a long history of success in the Southwestern League and tomorrow I have an opportunity to further add to that.”
Sammon trailed early as Carpenter played her first four holes in -2 before playing the next fourteen in +6. The Lady Wolfpack standout rammed in a birdie putt at hole No. 1 and added another at the par 3 fourth hole, both from fifteen feet.
In addition to the race for medalist honors there are eight other bids to next week’s CIF-SS Southern Region Individual Tournament at Los Serranos Golf Club in Chino Hills.
After day one the cut to advance to that qualifier is 88 (which at this point would require a playoff), while the day one cut (top 18 and ties) was 96.
The final group will go out at about noon Thursday, Oct. 20.
