Youth movement in effect

Bryce Alderton

An infusion of freshmen will dot the landscape when the Orange Coast

College women’s golf team takes to the links this fall and that has

spurred enthusiasm from Coach Barry Wallace.

“I think we will be a better team overall than last year,” Wallace

said. “We had eight girls on the team and three were beginners. None

are beginners this year. They have all played competitive golf.”

Coast finished third in the seven-team Orange Empire Conference

tournament last fall and sent three players to the Southern

California Regional Championships, including Marilyn Pope, Joanne

Durocher and Mijanou Pham.

Pope shot 173 over the two-day event to qualify for the state

championships, but did not play in the event because she celebrated

her 25th wedding anniversary.

The loss of Pope will hurt Coast, Wallace admitted, but he remains

confident in this year’s group.

“She had a great year for us, but has moved on to other

endeavors,” Wallace said. “I was just happy to have her for one

year.”

Durocher placed ninth at the OEC championships and returns as team

captain. She shot 196 at the Southern California tournament.

“Joanne is a real leader who works hard in school and on the golf

course,” Wallace said. “She is a role model for our team who has been

through the ropes. That is why she is the captain.”

Joining Durocher will be returning sophomore Laura Sumpter. Five

freshmen comprise the rest of the team.

Rachel Kone, a Newport Harbor High graduate, will play alongside

Lorraine Fernando (Bishop Amat High) and former Edison golfers:

Ashlee Kendall, Megan Parkovich and Nicole Newbrough.

Gaining three players from the same school is a coincidence,

Wallace said.

“It’s a matter of a school having two, three or four graduating

seniors who all decide to come to OCC,” Wallace said. “That is just

the way it happened. They are all good players. Next year, we may get

no one from [Edison]. It is a hit-and-miss thing.”

Fernando has been the most consistent player in preseason practice

rounds, shooting in the low 80s at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club’s

Mesa Linda course, Wallace said.

The Pirates, now two years removed from having to forfeit their

entire season because they didn’t have enough players to field a

team, have also been taking advantage of the practice area on campus.

“We’ve been practicing pitching and working on sand shots,”

Wallace said.

Coast lost its season opener to Mt. San Antonio Wednesday at Mesa

Linda.

OCC is scheduled to compete in the conference’s Tee Off Classic at

the Butterfield Stage Course at El Prado Golf Course Sept. 3. The

event will feature all seven OEC teams.