Yson, Harada first round leaders in Trinity League Tournament

CHINO HILLS – Jamie Harada didn’t expect to be in this position. Shocked was the word that the Mater Dei sophomore used to sum up the way that she has been playing this season.

“It is really surprising me, my family and my friends,” she said. “I didn’t have this kind of season last year.”

After spending the summer working on her chipping and putting, Harada has shaved three strokes off her nine-hole stroke average dropping from 42-39, and now she has become one of the girls to beat in the Trinity League individual golf tournament.

On Monday she posted a 6-over-par 80 on the North Course at Los Serranos Country Club to share the first-round lead with Santa Margarita’s Nicole Yson, who was a five-time medalist for the Eagles this season.

Both players were among the 18 who have advanced to the finals which will be played on Thursday at Recreation Park Golf Course in Long Beach. The cut was 97.

Just like Harada, Yson said her success this season is a product of the work she has put in on her short game, which is tough to do sometimes because swinging a driver is much more fun.

“But I have matured enough as a player to realize that your short game is much more important than driving,” Yson said. “It helps a lot more, and I believe it helped me a lot today.”

Harada was just happy she stayed out of the deep St. Andrews-style pot bunkers that are in front of the green on the 524-yard, par-5 No. 16. She ended up in one during a practice round she played at Los Serranos to get ready for the tournament.

“Those intimated me (today),” she said. “They are flat at the bottom and go like 6 feet straight up.”

There are several quirky holes like that at Los Serranos, she said, and quite a few on the North Course have elevation changes. That caught some of the players off guard on Monday as everyone in the first group - which featured the top players in the league - left their approach shots short.

“You had to club up a lot and choose your clubs wisely,” Yson said.

Over the years, Mater Dei and Santa Margarita have become the biggest rivals in the league, and this season, the Monarchs defeated the Eagles in both of their meetings to win their second consecutive league championship.

On Monday, Mater Dei got the better of Santa Margarita once again. 

The Monarchs had all eight of their players advance into the final round of the league tournament. Janneine Le, Jakeishya Le, Sara Kjos, Brianna Check, Danielle Bliss, Ashley Nguyen and Asia Andry will join Harada at Rec Park on Thursday. That’s the first time that has happened in school history, Mater Dei coach Ollie Martin said.

Santa Margarita saw seven of its eight players move on with Kelly Dapper, who just turned set a Santa Margarita school record at Coto de Caza, posting the third lowest score on Monday, a 7-over-par 81.

Jokeishya Le, Nguyen and Orange Lutheran’s Malia Valder each carded an 82 to tie for fourth. Kjos (85) and Janneine Le (86) placed seventh and eighth respectively followed by Check, who added an 88 for Mater Dei. The Monarchs definitely have to be among the favorites in the CIF-SS Southern Region Team Championship which will be held on the North Course on Oct. 26. 

Five Monarchs finished in the top eight on Monday, and the Monarchs shot 415 as a team.

“That (playing the course on Monday) is a huge advantage. Just playing it once made it so much easier today,” Harada said.  

RESULTS

At Los Serranos Country Club, North Course, par 74

1t. Nicole Yson (Santa Margarita), 80; 1t. Jamie Harada (Mater Dei), 80; 3. Kelly Dapper (Santa Margarita), 81; 4t. Jokeishya Le (Mater Dei), 82; 4t. Ashley Nguyen (Mater Dei), 82; 4t. Malia Valder (Orange Lutheran), 82; 7. Sara Kjos (Mater Dei), 85; 8. Janneinne Le (Mater Dei) 86; 9. Brianna Check (Mater Dei), 88; 10. Mel Gonzalez (Rosary) 89; 11. Corrie Mislter (Santa Margarita) 90; 12. Melissa Gonzalez (Orange Lutheran) 94; 13. Asia Andry (Mater Dei) 95; 14. Danielle Bliss (Mater Dei) 96; 15t. Jenna Henry (Rosary) 97; 15t. Annalise Caster (Santa Margarita) 97; 15t. Kristen Gallogly (Santa Margarita) 97; 15t. Diana Spiliotis (Santa Margarita) 97