DESERT HOT SPRINGS — SBCC didn’t play its best golf on a cold, windy day in the desert Monday during the first round of the Southern Cal Regional at par-72 Desert Dunes GC. The WSC champion Vaqueros are in third place in the six-team field at 360, five strokes behind the leader, Irvine Valley, and four behind second-place Santiago Canyon.
The top two teams advance to the State Finals on Nov. 18-19 at Olivas Links in Ventura.
“We came in as the favorite, now we’re the underdog,” said SBCC coach Chuck Melendez, whose team averaged 328 while going 44-1 in WSC competition. “We left a lot of strokes out there. Almost everyone had a blowup hole.”
Jackie Molstad led the Vaqueros with an 86, followed by Jenna Boyle (88), Asaka Sim (90) and Sumika Sim (96). Lorraine Titus of Irvine Valley was the medalist at 81.
“The good news is we have another day,” said Melendez. “If we play our normal game, we’ll be fine.”
The final round gets under way Tuesday at 7:30 a.m.
SOCAL REGIONAL
First round at par-72 Desert Dunes GC
Team scores (top 2 advance to State Finals) — 1, Irvine Valley 355. 2, Santiago Canyon 356. 3, SBCC 360. 4, Palomar 367. 5, Canyons 377. 6, Long Beach 391.
Medalist — Lorraine Titus, Irvine Valley, 81.
SBCC scores — Jackie Molstad 86, Jenna Boyle 88, Asaka Sim 90, Sumika Sim 96.
