OROVILLE — Wind gusts whipped through Table Mountain Golf Course but that didn’t stop Jackie Lucena.
The senior for the Pleasant Valley High girls golf team carded a 73 Monday afternoon to secure her second-straight Northern Section individual championship. Lucena shot a 37 on the front-9 and 36 on the back-9.
“(The wind) definitely made the course more challenging,” Lucena said. “It was a struggle for me during the whole round. I was grinding and really working hard to just get par.”
Lucena’s day started out slow as she found herself 2-over through the first four holes. But she was able to rely on her driver and work through the wind to smooth out the rest of her day.
“I had a lot of confidence with my driver off the tee and so I knew I would put myself in a good position to either hit the green or give myself a good birdie chance,” Lucena said. “I didn’t leave myself in too bad of position.”
Lucena capped her day by burying a 12-foot putt for birdie on hole No. 18.
“I got away with a bit of an errant drive and I hit a punch 8-iron to about 12 feet and birdied,” Lucena said. “To end the day with a birdie and get down to a 73 and shoot even par on the back, that was a good feeling.It was a good way to end.”
Pleasant Valley High’s Jackie Lucena chips the ball on hole No. 16 during the Northern Section golf championships Monday at Table Mountain Golf Course in Oroville. (Sharon Martin — Enterprise-Record)
The Vikings finished first carding a collective 413 to win the section team championship and advance to the NorCal tournament. PV’s Anne Chen finished second on the individual leaderboard with a 78 while fellow teammates Kiran Singh took third with an 84 and Calina Drakulic turned in a 88 for fourth. Christina Crum carded a 90 to round out the Vikings day.
Chico High finished second as a team with a 478 and also moves onto the NorCal tournament.
The Panthers were led by Mary Skillicorn’s 91. Sophia Magana followed with a 92.
“I’m definitely happy with how I was able to contain my score and for us to qualify as a team,” Skillicorn said. “I’m really happy because this was our goal at the beginning of the year – be competitive and go to NorCals and we did it.”
Anderson High’s Gabby Rosales and Red Bluff High’s Karli Rodriguez, Sydney Sinclair and Alyvia Mackey advanced to the NorCal tournament as individuals.
The NorCal tournament will be held Nov. 5 at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club near Lodi.
“My goal is to qualify for state — that’s my big goal,” Lucena said. “I know that course is pretty difficult. It’ll be about staying patient…stay patient and the shots will come. That’s my mentality.”
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