Joo Seo leads Aliso Niguel once again
LAGUNA BEACH – Since the start of the last girls golf season, Joo Seo has played in 25 matches for Aliso Niguel. The reigning South Coast League MVP has medaled in all but three of them.
“She works so hard on her game, and she plays in a lot of tournaments,” Aliso Niguel coach Wayne Westling said. “If I say she needs some work on her putting, her dad goes out and gets her a private lesson.”
It seems to be money well spent. On Wednesday, Seo finished with eight pars and one bogey to shoot a 1-over-par 33 at Aliso Creek Golf Course to lead the Wolverines to a 187-265 nonleague victory against Laguna Beach. This is the seventh time in nine starts in 2012 that she has medaled for No. 9 Aliso Niguel (7-2) as she beat her older sister JiJi Seo – the only senior in Westling’s lineup - by two strokes to win the honor on Wednesday. Mary Kate Quellmalz led the Breakers (0-4) with a 46.
In 2011, Joo Seo posted the lowest score in 15 of the 16 regular season matches that the Wolverines played. She got beat by once her teammate Colleen Young at Mission Viejo Country Club. Young has a neck injury, Westling said, so she couldn’t play on Wednesday
“That (winning 15 of 16 medals) is really, really good. She is just so consistent,” Westling said.
Wednesday’s round was one of the Wolverines better performances of the seasons, finishing 27-over-par as a team. Twice Aliso Niguel has carded a 25-over-par round, once at Aliso Viejo Country Club and once at El Niguel Country Club. Corona del Mar and No. 3 Dana Hills are the only two teams to beat the Wolverines this season, and both times, Aliso lost by less than 15 strokes. And that’s a bit of a surprise for Westling, considering the Wolverines are quite a young team this season with two freshmen, four juniors and only one senior in the starting lineup.
“We lost to Dana (Hills) at Monarch (Beach Golf Course, Dana Hills’ home course) by 11, and they are a good team,” Westling said. “The freshman lack some experience, but I think overall they (the team) are playing really well for what I expected.”
In the South Coast League:
Tesoro 216, No. 3 Dana Hills 218: Avery French fired a 1-over-par 37 at El Niguel Country Club, but the Dolphins (9-1, 3-1) lost their first match of the season
In nonleague girls golf:
No. 8 Foothill 203, Newport Harbor 233: Madie Chou posted a 2-under-par 34 at Tustin Ranch Golf Course to lead the Knights. She shared medalist honors with Grace Ferrelll who led the Sailors with a 34.
No. 6 Edison 204, St. Margaret's 251: Jennifer Yu finished with an even-par 36 at Mile Square Golf Course to lead the Chargers.
