COSTA MESA JUNIOR TOURNAMENT:

COSTA MESA — Lauren Draganza went to her local course looking for and expecting a big win in the 19th annual Costa Mesa Junior Championship Tuesday.

Draganza, a Newport Harbor High junior-to-be, did not win the title in the girls’ 15-18 division, but added to her summer success with a fourth-place finish after shooting an eight-over-par 78 on the Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club’s Mesa Linda course.

It was Kelsey Hummer of San Clemente that edged out runner-up Seri Lee of Tustin to take first place after a two-hole playoff in the Southern California PGA Junior Tour event.

As far as Draganza was concerned, she could have been a part of that playoff. Draganza was four shots back of the leaders, but considering it was her home course, she felt she could’ve shot better than what she had.

“To be honest, I think I played pretty bad,” Draganza said. “I played a practice round [on Monday] and shot a 71.”

However, the tournament finish will help Draganza. She has been atop the SCPGA Junior Tour leaderboard almost all summer and now sits in third place on the points list and her fourth-place finish will add to that point total.

Draganza has logged three wins on the summer tour, capturing titles in the Casta del Sol Summer Championship, Indian Hills Summer Championship and the Harry Pressler Memorial Championship. Her fourth-place finish at her local course was Draganza’s sixth top-10 finish on the summer tour and fifth top five.

Draganza will join the Newport Harbor team with plenty of golf under her belt after this summer’s tour.

The SCPGA Junior Tour holds at least four tournaments a week throughout Southern California and includes talented young golfers.

Costa Mesa was Tuesday’s stop on the tour and it took not one, but two playoff holes to decide the girls’ 15-18-year-old division title.

Hummer and Lee shot a solid four-over-par 74, but it was a clutch five-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole that put Hummer one shot up and into the winner’s circle.

On the par-three second playoff hole both players hit beautiful shots off the tee that landed within five feet. Lee was a little closer and it was up to Hummer to sink her putt and put the pressure on. Hummer drained it. Lee was unable to answer and Hummer became the girls’ 15-18 champion at the Costa Mesa Junior Championship.

“I am just proud of myself,” Hummer said of her win. “The greens were really good [and] I had a really fun group.”

Hummer grabbed her first win of the summer tour and it came just a week and a half after a second-place finish in the Vista Valley Summer Championship.

Hummer outlasted a talented field of 12 girls that included three players from the Newport-Mesa area. In addition to Draganza, Newport Beach resident Morgan Moody, who tied for sixth with an 81, and Corona del Mar resident Ashley Varner, who finished with a 101 for 12th, also competed.

MARK RATTO may be reached at (714) 966-4616.