Jocelyn Chia, Irene Maemura come up short

MURRIETA — A mixture of frustration and satisfaction best summed up the feelings of Crescenta Valley High’s Jocelyn Chia and Burbank’s Irene Maemura immediately following the pair’s season-ending efforts at Thursday’s 2012 CIF-Women’s Southern California Golf Assn. girls’ Southern California Championship at the Golf Club at Rancho California.

Both shot above the cut line of 72, which was par for the 18-hole course, and thus were unable to advance to Tuesday’s state girls’ golf championship at Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga.

“I didn’t shoot my best and it’s frustrating,” said Chia, who finished with a six-over 78. “I struggled on the front nine and I don’t know why. It was tough.”

Chia, who reached her third consecutive Southern California championship, finished six over through the first nine holes after starting with a bogey on the opening par-four, 343-yard ninth hole.

While Chia had issues through the front nine, the reigning Pacific League champion closed strong through the final nine holes in finishing even par, which ended her day with a 78.

If the pressure wasn’t enough, Chia and the other 141 individual competitors also had to deal with sporadic rain.

“It didn’t really bother me,” Chia said. “I haven’t played in the rain in a while, but we played right through it.”

Crescenta Valley Coach Lee Pope echoed the sentiments of his ace afterward.

“Jocelyn is a seasoned and very experienced player. Like most girls out here, this wasn’t her first time in the rain,” Pope said of the junior. “I know she feels bad about her score, especially since this is the place where her season has stopped the last three years.

“The good thing for her, is that she still has one more chance.”

As for Maemura, the Bulldogs sophomore had similar complications from the get-go as she double-bogeyed her opening hole, the par-five, 527-yard fourth hole, en route to carding an 82.

“My drives weren’t right half the time and my irons didn’t land on the green,” Maemura said. “I can’t blame the weather because it really didn’t affect me.”

Maemura battled with consistency as she didn’t string together more than two consecutive holes in which she scored par or better.

Yet, any feeling of disappointment quickly washed away after the match.

“I’m proud that I was able to make it here,” she said. “Last year, I didn’t get to go this far. This will be my motivation for next year.”

Burbank Coach Branco Sevic was equally thrilled with the effort of Maemura.

“How could you not be proud of her? She didn’t do as well as she wanted to today,” Sevic said. “But this was a great effort.”

Anaheim Canyon’s Jessica Vasilic carded the day’s top score, six-under 66, in claiming the Southern California championship, two strokes ahead of Fountain Valley’s Lilia Wu.

In team competition, Torrey Pines captured the crown in finishing with 369 points and outlasting Diamond Bar, which finished with 385 points.