When Beckman coach Penn Bushong got the news that he had been selected the Register’s girls golf coach of the year, he quickly deflected the praise, saying “I guess someone has got to get it, right?”
Then he suggested the award should be renamed “The Coach Who Had The Team of the Year.”
Bushong did have that. Beckman began the season by setting a series of school records and ended it by winning its first CIF-SS team girls golf title.
“Winning CIF was one of our goals and expectations from the beginning of the season, so there is a great sense of accomplishment in meeting those goals,” Bushong said. “The team records and shooting the low scores were so rewarding because it was the kids’ hard work paying off.”
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With four of their five scoring players posting a 74 or better, the Patriots topped the leaderboard at the CIF-SS Southern Regional, winning by 10 strokes on the Mesa Linda Course at Costa Mesa Country Club.
Cameron Lee led the Patriots with an even-par 70. Marisa Bhanubandh – the only senior in the lineup – and Priscilla Ki added 73s, and freshman Chae Lim Lee fired a 74.
Bushong said that in his time at Beckman, he has never had a team as good as this one.
This year’s group has the scorecards to prove it.
Beckman broke the school’s nine-hole scoring record four times during the season. The final time came Sept. 29 when the Patriots shot a 177 at Oak Creek Golf Club.
The players, Bushong said, took ownership of the team early on, scheduling bonding events, such as pool parties and practices on the driving range after school. Bushong said the girls also made “real decisions about the lineups.”
“To be good you’ve got to have talent, but success can be derailed by bad team culture,” Bushong said. “Golf can be a very selfish sport, but these girls really cared about winning as a team and helping each other.
“They were so encouraging to each other and really love each other like family. They cared about the person first and the golfer second, and that made it a fun environment to be around. It’s going to be exciting to see what they can do in the coming years.”
Contact the writer: ddottore@ocregister.com
