Pattraporn Silawanna paces Glendale Community College golf to win
PASADENA — Pattraporn Silawanna can see progress in her overall game with each round. The improvement appears to be coming at the right time for the Glendale Community College women’s golfer.
Silawanna must have liked what she saw Monday during a Western State Conference match at Brookside Golf Course No. 1.
Silawanna recorded an eagle on the par-five sixth hole to help her earn medalist honors with a six-over-par 72.
“Getting that eagle helped me with my confidence, and I feel like I am getting better,” said Silawanna, the conference’s reigning individual champion who also led the Vaqueros to a first-round finish with a team score of 326. “I used a wedge and knocked my first shot about 230 yards and then hit my next shot about 25 yards before getting the eagle.
“This is a pretty big win for us. The goal for us is to win conference again, Southern California Regionals and then get back to state.”
Glendale won for the fifth time in six conference matches, including a victory against College of the Canyons on Wednesday at Simi Hills Golf Course. The Vaqueros also won on its designated home course for the first time in the program’s six-year history, besting rival Canyons by seven strokes.
Santa Barbara took third (367), followed by Bakersfield (374) and Citrus (422).
Vicanda Ma shot an 81 for Glendale, which received an 82 from Thanawan Sriratchaya, an 85 from Jasmine Daniel and an 86 from Fanny Ostlund.
“It’s a pretty difficult course,” said Glendale college Coach Greg Osbourne, who guided the Vaqueros to the Southern California Regional championship and a runner-up appearance in the California Community College Athletic Assn. Women’s Golf Championship last season. “There was some trouble with the greens and we missed some putts, but they didn’t blow up.
“They had to stick to their games and it happened. Most of our scores were around the same, and we needed an 86 to win it. It’s fantastic for Pattraporn to medal. Right now, she’s trying harder. It was great to see her get that eagle.
“Canyons has a good team, and there’s that pride issue in trying to beat them. We are just as good as them, if not better.”
Ma, one of three sophomores at Glendale, said she overcame some early struggles in her round to finish strong.
“I wasn’t too energetic at first, but I just went out there and tried to hit every ball straight,” Ma said. “It’s great to finally win on our home course for the first time.
“I can see that we are getting even closer as a team.”
The Vaqueros will next participate in a conference neutral site match at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Tierra Rejada Golf Club in Moorpark. The conference finals will be held Oct. 28-29 in Bakersfield.
