A win with 8 strokes

girls’ golf beats ORH

Freshman Victoria Takaki took her first stroke for the first hole of the match against Otay Ranch High. Takaki is part of the first pair of golfers in the match.

Nicole Macgaffey

Freshman Victoria Takaki took her first stroke for the first hole of the match against Otay Ranch High. Takaki is part of the first pair of golfers in the match.

Nicole Macgaffey, CPS Editor

On Oct. 4, Bonita Vista High (BVH) varsity girls’ golf team won their match against Otay Ranch High (ORH) at the Chula Vista Golf Course with a score of 268-276. This was their first win of the season. The girls moved through the course for hours as a cool breeze blew by and the sun shone above them. 

Freshman Victoria Takaki had the lowest amount of strokes for the course which totaled 48. She alongside Team Captain and senior Samantha Bianes were in the first group of golfers. Bianes explained that Girl and Boy’s golf coach Tony Valdez, puts the two players with the lowest scores from the last match first to keep the pace of the match moving.

“I was really excited because I feel this is a really good first shot and the shots throughout the game [will be similar],” Takaki said after the first shot. “I feel that in this next shot I can make it on the greens and [then] make it in the hole.”

Bianes, after taking her first shot of the match, remarked on the difficulty in finding the ball after it had been hit. She mentioned she felt motivated for the rest of the match based upon how she did on the first shot.

“For me, a positive attitude changes everything. It was a good shot and I think it’s going to be a good day [and] good play,” Bianes said. 

After completing the first hole that had a par of 4, Takaki finished with 5 strokes and Bianes finished with 6.

Bianes mentioned after concluding the first hole that she was aiming for a lower score but felt optimistic for the game ahead. 

— Nicole Macgaffey

“I feel really good because I got a good score. I feel I can do better in the next hole,” Takaki said. 

On the first stroke of the second hole, Takaki landed the ball on the fairway which she commented was short of where she wanted the ball to be. Bianes’s first stroke went out of bounds causing her to receive an extra stroke. 

After completing the second hole that had a par of 5, Takaki finished with 6 strokes and Bianes completed with 9 strokes. Bianes said after that hole, she was better acquainted with the course and felt more confident for the next holes. 

“[The second hole] went okay, but I’m actually really happy because I used the green as an example for the rest of the holes so I know how fast to put and [was able] to figure out the rough,” Bianes said.

There are 9 players on the team and in each match the top 6 from each team goes against each other, Valdez said. He explained that in the sport of golf, players need to play all year round in order to improve their golf swings and their overall golf skills. 

“Three [players] unfortunately can’t participate [each match] but every week they have the opportunity to see how they’re playing [through practices],” Valdez said. “I try to rotate people in [the matches] , especially if they’re learning [as] that’s a good way for them to learn.” 

Valdez believed the players were doing great and had hoped prior to the match for the victory the team received on October 8. He mentioned that the team is young compared to other teams in their league.  In this match there were three freshmen, two sophomores, and one senior playing. He explained that for three of the players, it is their first year playing. 

“We’re really young, but [when] the girls are at practice, they’re learning [and] trying their best. So with that, we have nowhere to move but up,” Valdez said. “I definitely see a brighter future in the next couple of years for BVH’s golf.”