Once more for Draganza

The Newport Harbor High girls golf team boasts a solid group of young

players, but it’s the lone senior starter who makes it a legitimate

league-title contender.

Natalie Draganza returns for her fourth year on the varsity with

impressive credentials.

Draganza is a three-time Sea View League champion and defending

three-time league MVP. She shot a 7-under-par 36 and took fourth

place at the PGA Oak Valley Tournament of Champions recently.

“She has great course management and she’s very focused,” Newport

Harbor coach Scott Tarnow said. “And she doesn’t succumb to stress.

Every year she has gotten better.”

As an illustration of her continued improvement and dominance of

the Sea View League, her freshman year, Draganza won the league

individual title by four strokes. Her sophomore year, she won the

individual championship by six strokes. Last season as a junior,

Draganza won the league title by 10 strokes.

“She’s just a superstar,” Tarnow said.

Draganza leads a young squad that includes top-notch returners Iko

Kagasoff and Kendall Horn. The Sailors should get a boost from

newcomers Ali Grace, Taylor Funk and Tiffany Kim.

“We have a young team. We actually might be even better next year,

despite losing Draganza,” said Tarnow, whose team boasts two juniors,

two sophomores and a freshman. “I think they will all get better. Our

young players just have to work on course management and

understanding what each situation calls for.”

That shouldn’t take long because Newport Harbor typically is a

team full of smart players.

“They push for straight As. They were CIF Southern Section

academic champions four years ago, and they’ve been in the top five

basically every year,” Tarnow said. “I take it as a personal goal and

make sure they understand these are important years for them.”

Newport Harbor golfers typically end up at quality colleges

whether they continue to golf or not. One of last year’s star

players, Kayleigh Horn, is continuing her golf and academic careers

at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Newport Harbor expects to compete for the Sea View League

championship with Woodbridge and Aliso Niguel. Foothill also should

be competitive.

“There is plenty of competition,” said Tarnow, who is in his sixth

season with the Newport Harbor golf program.

Newport Harbor aims to finish above .500 in the Sea View League

and return to the CIF team playoffs, where it finished eighth last

season.