TWINS FOCUSING ON PROCESS
After playing in back-toback groups during the second round of IMG Academy Junior World Championships golf tournament, Oceanside twins Jasmine and Janae Leovao met up at the scoring table where discussion between two quickly turned to birdies, bogeys, and an eagle.
It was golf talk, in other words, comparing rounds for the two who each shot an even-par 72 in the girls 15-18 age division at Bernardo Heights on Wednesday, keeping Janae close to the top of the leaderboard and allowing Jasmine to move up after an off first round.
“It’s always fun to have someone who’s competing with you constantly,” said Janae, who with her sister first played this tournament in 2018. “That’s one of the reasons why we can get really good.”
Trading places on the leaderboard from tourney to tourney isn’t uncommon for the twins, 17, incoming El Camino High seniors-to-be, who have committed to San Diego State.
“We both just need to work on consistency because we’re always flip-flopping (scores),” Jasmine said. “That’s pretty funny.”
Janae, who had an opening-round 71, remains in a fifth-place tie (143), six shots off the lead. Jasmine (151) is tied for 49th.
Play continues through Friday for the 15-18 age divisions, while all other groups conclude today in the event that has returned after being canceled last year due to the pandemic.
“What I’ve been doing really well is just focusing on the process,” Janae said. “It doesn’t matter to me how I’m scoring because everything is a learning experience. I just want to get better and learn from every round.”
The twins, who aren’t identical but do look alike, take much the same approach to their golf games.
“I’m mainly focusing on mental stuff throughout this tournament,” Jasmine said. “The score doesn’t matter to me as much. It’s making sure that I’m working on my mental game. It’s being positive even if there are mistakes because they are inevitable.”
In high school play, switched from the fall to the spring for girls this school year because of the pandemic, Jasmine tied for fourth in the San Diego Section while Janae placed 10th. Then, as the defending champion, Jasmine finished fifth in the Southern California regional tourney.
“It’s always a work in progress,” Jasmine said. “I know where I’m at and know that I can do better. So I just keep working hard.”
Carlsbad’s Meghan Royal (71) also improved by seven shots in the second round for a halfway score of 149, tied for 32nd.
“I’m in a decent spot right now,” said Royal, 17, an incoming senior at Carlsbad High who is bound for the University of Arkansas. “I just had a couple of bad holes in each round, but my game’s in a solid place, and I’m confident.”
Novato’s Kianna Briggs recorded a hole-in-one on the 138-yard third hole with an 8iron en route to a 72 to stand tied for 53rd (152).
Notable
San Diego’s Ian Maspat (3under 139) retains a share of a four-stroke lead with Taiwan’s
Jeremy Chen in the boys 15-18 division at Torrey Pines South after shooting 72 in the second round. Tied for fourth is Encinitas’ Jonas Appel (144). San Diego’s Jay Leng Jr. (152) fired a hole-in-one on the par-3 No. 11 but settled for a secondround 75.
• First-round co-leader
Jaden Nacional (143), of Oceanside, slipped to a tie for sixth place in the boys 9-10 bracket. San Marcos’ Enzo Taylor (142) has climbed into a third-place tie.
• San Diego’s Kate Hu
(150) stands seventh in the girls 11-12 division. Leading at 9 under is Eliana Saga (137) of Stevenson Ranch, north of Burbank.
• From a third-place tie in the first round, Carlsbad’s Mia Clausen moved into the lead of the girls 9-10 bracket by two shots with a second-round 68.
• Encinitas’ Michael Riebe
(144) shares fifth place in the boys 13-13 division.
• Karen Tsuru of Carlsbad topped Caroline Hwang of Orlando, Fla., 2 up in a round of 64 match at the 72nd U.S. Girls’ Junior at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md. Tsuru next faces Isabella McCauley of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., this morning. Also, Kelly Xu of Claremont defeated Anna Davis of Spring Valley 5 and 3.