Mustangs Three Shots Short of Outright Title

As is often the case in golf, a couple shots here or there can make all the difference, and the Mira Costa High girls came up three shots shy on Thursday of claiming an outright Bay League team title, falling to Palos Verdes Peninsula 200-202.

"The two teams are very evenly matched and it came down to a few putts here and there that the girls would have liked to have back, but that's golf," Coach Jim Hands said.

The Mustangs, playing at home on the Chester Washington Golf Course, came into the match undefeated and finished the season at 9-1 in league play, tied atop the Bay League standings with Peninsula thanks to the Panthers close victory.

The Mustangs received a season-low round from freshman Megan Kim, who posted a 1-under par 35 on Mira Costa's home course. Kim finished the regular season with a team low, scoring average of 39.9 for nine holes.

Sophomore Kari Gordon posted a 40 and sister Raquel Gordon finished with a 42.  The young Mustangs, who relied upon underclassmen scoring for their team totals all season, also used a 42 and a 43 from freshmen Jenny Johnson and Mika Pascual.

"I know the girls are not pleased right now, but this is the best finish in a decade for Mira Costa and we had a terrific season and we can make it more memorable with a good showing in the post-season," Hands said.

It was a busy week for Mira Costa, which picked up a fifth-place finish on Wednesday at the Knabe Cup at Lakewood Country Club.

The annual competition included 29 teams, with Torrance High winning with a team score of 301.

The Mustangs, who brought a team of four to the 18-hole competition, finished at 331. They were led by Kim, who birdied two par-5's en route to a 5-over-par 79.

"I was hitting it well all day, but the putting wasn't what I needed.  We don't get to play 18 holes all the time, so I'm really glad we got to get a full round in," Kim said.

Pascual and Raquel Gordon each carded rounds of 83, and Kari Gordon finished with an 86 while battling a migraine headache during play.

"The greens were pretty fast and I think almost everyone had some missed putts they wanted back," Kari Gordon said.

The Mustangs will return to Lakewood Country Club for CIF qualification play against all Bay and Ocean league teams.

"It was good to get to play the course [Lakewood] in advance of CIF and get familiar with how the course is playing. Hopefully we can improve next week," Gordon said.