Crescenta Valley High girls’ duo flocks to River Ridge for postseason opener
Jocelyn Chia and Andrea Han likely won’t have any concerns about the layout of River Ridge Golf Club when they step on to the venue’s greens again Monday.
The duo from the Crescenta Valley High girls’ golf team took to the par-72 course Oct. 15 for the Pacific League individual finals. Chia and Han came away having survived the howling Santa Ana winds to punch their tickets to the postseason after earning top-eight finishes.
Chia and Han will look to once again conquer the site’s Vineyard Course and the possible winds from the nearby Pacific Ocean when they take part in the CIF Southern Section Northern Individual Regional at 8 a.m. Monday in Oxnard.
Crescenta Valley Coach Lee Pope said Chia and Han are up to the task after finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, in the league tournament.
“They now both have some experience playing there,” said Pope, whose team finished second in league and will participate in the CIF Southern Section Eastern Team Divisional at 8 a.m. Thursday at Jurupa Hills Golf Course in Riverside. “Jocelyn has probably played their 10-12 times and Andrea played her first round there at the league final.
“They both passed their tests at league and I think they can do well at CIF. It’s about being able to play smart. The goal is to move on to the next round. They don’t have to win [Monday].”
Chia, the reigning All-Area Girls’ Golfer of the Year, carded a 77 at the league final and saw her run of three league titles in a row come to a close. Han, who will make her first postseason appearance, had a 78.
Chia and Han will be joined by league counterparts Irene Maemura of Burbank, Joany Gao of Burroughs, La Cañada’s Melissa Leo, Arcadia’s Kayla Yn and Michelle Cheung and Cameron McCray of San Marino. Yn edged Leo by three strokes to win the league title.
Nearly 100 participants will compete in Monday’s event, including athletes from the Mission, Academy, Bay, Channel, Del Rey, Foothill, Freelance, Golden, Hacienda, Los Padres, Marmonte, Ocean, PAC-7, Pacific View, Suburban and Tri-Valley leagues. The top 36 will advance to the Individual Championship and Women’s Southern California Golf Assn. Qualifying Tournament at 7:30 a.m. Nov. 7 at Talega Golf Club in San Clemente.
Pope, the reigning All-Area Girls’ Golf Coach of the Year, said Chia and Han are prepared to face many of the region’s top golfers.
“You are going to run into some excellent golfers, many who have played River Ridge plenty of times,” Pope said. “Jocelyn has played pretty solid all year and Andrea has come into her own as a sophomore and will soak up the experience.
“The key is you want to save your strokes because it can come down to one shot being the difference. It will be tough, but they both come in with a lot of confidence.”
Chia has advanced to the CIF Southern Section Individual Final and Women’s Southern California Golf Assn. Qualifying Tournament — the third round of individual play — the past three seasons.
