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Damian Dottore. Sports. HS Reporter.

// MORE INFORMATION: Associate Mug Shot taken August 24, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

CHINO HILLS – Alyaa Abdulghany walked off the stage at Western Hills Country Club with her shiny new CIF plaque tucked nonchalantly under her arm. Her expression – or lack thereof – made it seem as if the Corona del Mar sophomore had just spent an ordinary day on the golf course.

“That’s just Alyaa,” Sea Kings coach Mike Starkweather said. “But there are still two more tournaments to go, so why should she smile and be happy?”

Why should she smile? Why should she be happy? Out of the 118 girls who teed off Thursday, she was the only one to break 70. Her 3-under-par 69 won the CIF-SS Individual championship by one stroke and qualified her for the WSCGA So Cal Championships in San Bernardino on Nov. 13.

As Starkweather noted, that tournament and the CIF State Championship later this month are the next challenges on the schedule. Abdulghany missed making the cut for the state tournament last season, and Starkweather said it took her at least three days to get over the disappointment.

“How does it feel to win? I don’t know. I guess I am happy,” Abdulghany said. “Three under on this course is really good. … I am on a streak, and I want to keep it, going. I just have got to keep feeling that momentum. Push through.”

Five of her last six rounds have ended in the 60s, giving her a 68.3 stroke average during that span. She missed posting her third 67 in a row by a matter of inches.

She left her 45-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th just short and then her birdie putt on the par-5 17th lipped out.

“It is frustrating, but you have to take what you can get,” she said. “But I would have loved a 67.”

Abdulghany finished with four birdies, but also noteworthy was her scrambling par on the 10th hole. After pulling her tee shot to the left and into the trees, Abdulghany didn’t have a clear shot at the green, so she had to settle for putting her approach in the greenside rough. She pitched her third shot to within 2 feet of the pin and tapped in for par.

Whatever emotion Abdulghany lacked after her triumph, Troy senior Ysabel Tran made up for, as she was seemingly on the verge of tears when she realized the Warriors were just one round away from making it to state tournament.

Thursday’s tournament also served as a team qualifier for the So Cal Championships, and the Warriors made the cut, finishing fourth with a 410. Walnut prevailed by shooting a 382, followed by Diamond Bar (387) and San Marino (409). Beckman finished fifth, carding a 413, but only the top four teams advanced.

“I am so overwhelmed. This is the farthest we have ever been, and I am just so happy with my teammates,” said Tran, who led the Warriors with a 3-over-par 75. “We just pulled through somehow. … We made it.”

The top 28 individuals, which included Foothill junior Madie Chou, Mater Dei senior Jakeishya Le and Yorba Linda senior Brooke Graebe, also made the cut for the So Cal Championships.

Chou posted a 72, Le fired a 73 and Graebe shot a 74, despite being 5 over through her first six holes.

“I knew I could do it (make the cut),” Graebe said. “I just had to keep smiling and keep talking to my playing partners. I just told myself to stay positive and find fairways and greens.”

Contact the writer: ddottore@ocregister.com