Girls’ Golf: Pair of Eagles on to CIF

COSTA MESA — Cassie Stevenson didn’t win the Orange Coast League girls’ golf individual title Monday, but the Estancia High senior did enough to lengthen her high school golf career.

Stevenson led Estancia with a 15-over-par 85 and finished second among the 12 league finalists who played 18 holes at Costa Mesa Country Club’s Mesa Linda course. She and sophomore teammate Naomi Beth (93) claimed two of the league’s four spots into the CIF Southern Section Southern Individual Regional. The regional is scheduled for 8 a.m. Oct. 24 at Recreation Park Golf Course in Long Beach.

Estancia had three of the top six finishers, including senior Jackie Tanner, who shot 100 to place sixth. Junior Judy Gonzalez shot 105 while sophomore Jennifer Torres shot 113 and junior Denise Casillas shot 114.

Calvary Chapel junior Natalie Mattison won the league title with an 82.

For Stevenson, who plans to play at Cal State San Marcos, the short game hurt her quest for a second straight league title. She had one birdie.

“I couldn’t make any short putts,” Stevenson said. “My short game wasn’t good enough to make any birdies.”

Pin placements on the back nine resembled those during the Costa Mesa City Championship in August. The flagstick was less than 10 paces off the fringe on a few holes.

“There were a couple of tough ones and a lot were in the front,” Stevenson said of the pins. “I didn’t produce enough good scores.”

Stevenson’s birdie came on the 214-yard par-four 16th. Her drive landed left of the green. She used a 58-degree wedge to hit a high shot that landed softly on the green and made the 11/2-foot birdie putt.

Stevenson two-putted for par on the par-three 17th, but double-bogeyed the par-four 18th. Her second shot from the right rough went left of the green. With the ball below her feet, Stevenson flubbed her first chip shot and her second try also fell short of the green.

“I’m going to work on the short game and putting, a lot,” Stevenson said of her preparation for the CIF regional.

Meanwhile, Beth played well enough to extend her season, too.

“[Beth] has been working on consistency and putting in practice,” Estancia Coach Jeff Perry said. “She questions herself, but works through it.”

Mesa Linda plays just 4,591 yards from the ladies’ tees, but the greens can be a challenge, Perry said.

“There are a lot of undulations [in the greens] and they are speedy,” Perry said. “To have three of the top six and two among the top four is fantastic for these girls.”