BEAUMONT — The top girls’ golfers from the CIF Southern Section hit the links at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon’s Champions Course Thursday, Nov. 2, in hopes of qualifying for next week’s CIF State-SCGA Southern California Regional. Three of the four area golfers who qualified for the event found the course to be just a little outside their comfort zone. The one exception, last year’s Southwestern League champion, Vista Murrieta’s Lauren Sammon. The future University of Wisconsin Badger posted a seventy-seven, making her the lone golfer to advance.

Vista Murrieta’s Lauren Sammon was the area’s lone qualifier for the CIF State-SCGA Southern California Regional. Valley News/File photo

Stanford commit Leigh Chien, who Sammons went toe-to-toe with last year in the same event, shot a 5-under-par 67 to claim the CIF-SS individual championship. Chien’s Santa Margarita team also dominated the field by shooting a 5-under 365 to qualify first overall by an astonishing 35 shots. Peninsula, Walnut and Northwood each carded 400 to claim the remaining three spots in the regionals. This tournament was the final step for qualifying for state.

This year’s Southwestern League champion, and sister to Lauren, Maddie Sammon (Murrieta Valley; freshman), shot an 81 while Zihong Sun of Liberty High School shot a disappointing 87. Also in the hunt was Vista Murrieta freshman Breanna Noble, who lost out on moving forward to next week after by falling in a hole playoff that featured five golfers all knotted up with 79 at the finish.

The CIF-SCGA Southern California regional will be hosted by Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills, taking place Thursday, Nov. 9.

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JP Raineri
JP Raineri

JP is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and head of the Sports Department for the Valley News. Over his time in the Temecula Valley, JP, a former Southwestern League head baseball coach, was also an on-air radio personality at Q103.3, KATY 101.3, Hot 103.9, and was a television host for the Outdoor Channel. When not covering local, or national sports, JP also serves as an Associate Baseball Scout with NSR.