Dana Hills keeps on winning
DANA POINT – When Dana Hills made it to the CIF-SS girls golf tournament last fall, Coach Phil Wilburton said the Dolphins kind of surprised themselves that they made it that far.
Even though they posted an undefeated season, he said, the Dolphins didn’t think they were capable of playing at that level.
The experience was an awaking of sorts, he said, because now success isn’t sneaking up on them like one year ago. Expectations are high this time around.
“They saw good play there (at the CIF tournament), and it kind of spurred them on a little bit,” he said. “They saw that they were pretty good, and we hope that we can get back there again this year.”
And with the way that Dana Hills has been playing so far, the Dolphins seem to be on pace to do just that. On Monday at Monarch Beach Golf Course, No. 5 Dana Hills extended its winning streak to 23 matches dating to the start of last season, beating No. 8 Aliso Niguel, 219-230.
“People know we are going to be a better team (this year), and they seem to be gunning for us,” Wilburton said.
French led the Dolphins once again, shooting an even-par 36, and has now medaled in all but one match that Dana Hills has played this season, giving her a 36.1 stroke average.
“Avery (French) is a much more consistent player. She has played in a lot more tournaments,” Wilburton said.
During the 2011-12 season, French entered five tournaments in the International Junior Golf Tour, and she won four of them, finishing seventh in another. That put her in second place in the tour’s rankings. In those events, her scoring average was 78.40, which ranked 28th in a field of 203 players.
After she plays in the Rainbow Sandals Lady Triton Invitational at San Clemente Municipal on Sept. 21, French is planning on visiting UNLV.
“She is doing well in the tournaments. Look at her (high school) average. And she has gone under par a couple of times too,” Wilburton said. “She is the real deal.”
