Thirteen Inland girls golfers advance to finals

The CIF Southern Section staged three girls golf regional tournaments earlier this week, and 13 Inland golfers punched their tickets to next week’s section finals.

The section’s individual championship will take place next Thursday at the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon in Beaumont.

The top 24 golfers at each of the three regional tournaments advanced to the finals.

The Central Region qualifier, held Monday at Bear Valley Country Club in Victorville, produced nine of the Inland golfers who will contend for the section title.

Murrieta Valley freshman Maddie Sammon and Rancho Cucamonga sophomore Emily Zhong each fired a round of 73 to finish in a tie for third place, four shots behind regional champion Jasmin Koo of Cerritos.

Liberty freshman Zihong Sun, Centennial sophomore Victoria Richani and North’s Jialin Zhong tied for eighth place with rounds of 75, while Santiago senior Marissa Nihei and King freshman Emilyn Czaplicki finished in a tie for 14th place with rounds of 76. Vista Murrieta freshman Breanna Noble shot a 77 and tied for 17th place.

Vista Murrieta senior Lauren Sammon, the reigning IE Varsity Golfer of the Year, shot 79 and finished in a tie for 22nd place with three others. Sammon was one of three golfers to win a card-off to secure the final qualifying spots from the Central Region.

The Southern Region qualifier took place Tuesday at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills. Claremont juniors Kristina Xu and Riley Wang each shot 72 and tied for eighth place to advance to the finals.

The Northern Region qualifier was held Wednesday at Los Robles Greens in Thousand Oaks. Diamond Bar sophomore Juliet Oh was the area’s top performer, as she shot a 70 and tied for 10th place. Diamond Bar’s Carol Yan tied for 22nd place with a round of 73.