Crescenta Valley’s Park falls short
GLENDALE — It only took Crescenta Valley High junior girls’ golfer Katie Park a couple of seconds to figure out what went wrong.
“I’m going to need to work harder on my short game,” said Park, who carded a 10-over-par 82 to finish in a seven-way tie for 53rd at the CIF Individual Finals at Mountain Meadows Golf Course in Pomona on Thursday. “You need to have a good short game to shoot a low score.”
Not much went right for Park, who advanced to Thursday’s competition after carding a three-over-par 75 on Monday at the CIF Southern Section Northern Individual Regionals at Soule Park Golf Course in Ojai. On Thursday, Park, who finished second in the Pacific League individual final behind Emily Tubert of Burroughs, registered nine pars, one birdie, five bogeys and three double-bogeys.
She began her day parring the eighth, ninth and 10th holes. She double-bogeyed the 11th hole before posting a birdie on the 12th.
From that point, it mostly became a struggle for Park.
“I couldn’t keep making pars,” said Park, who helped Crescenta Valley finish tied for second in league this season after the Falcons won the league crown the previous two seasons. “I know I’ll have to keep working on my game.”
Crescenta Valley Coach Ken Johnson said numerous golfers had difficulties with their short game.
“Mountain Meadows punched their greens about three or four weeks ago,” Johnson said. “The greens were still somewhat rough and bumpy.
“Watching Katie on a few holes, she had some problems with her putting and chipping. She was just missing the hole by a little bit with her putting.”
Tubert, a junior, shot an 80 to finish tied for 45th.
The cutoff was 77. The top 28 from Thursday’s round will next compete in the CIF-Women’s Southern California Golf Assn. Championship.
Park and Crescenta Valley (18-7 in league) will next participate in the CIF Southern Section Central Team Divisional, which will begin at 8 a.m. Monday at Menifee Lakes Country Club in Riverside County.
“Golf is a strange game,” Johnson said. “They are going to have to take chipping and putting very seriously to do well.
“It’s going to be so important. The girls are really going to have to want it. It’s going to be really tough Monday, but they have to shoot lights out.”
