By Chelsea Khakshouri

 

Starting the season with a 4-1 record, the girls’ varsity golf team has begun practicing with two girls at a time rather than the whole team, Head Coach Linda Giaciolli said.

Giaciolli believes the practice arrangement will provide more quality time to engage and instruct the players. Practices are held at both the Encino and Balboa Golf Courses.

The team started out strong with three consecutive wins, followed by a loss to top rival Notre Dame. The team then beat Marymount High School 217-260 at Rancho Park Golf Course, one of the toughest public courses in the area.

“The regular season before playoffs comprises 12 9-hole matches against teams in the Mission League.  As the season progresses the competition tends to heat up simply because the girls have been able to play more in competitive situations,” Giaciolli said.

Melanie Bornstein ’11 and Emily Firestein ’11 co-captain an eight player team comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores.

Besides “seasoned players” Bornstein and Firestein, Amanda Aizuss ’13 and Jessica Wibawa ’13 have both made golf  ”a cornerstone in their lives”, Giaciolli said.

“As a freshman, I mainly am just looking up to the more experienced golfers, since competitive golf is new to me,” Madeline Abrahams ’14 said. “I think we have a great chance at finishing really well this season, but we need to work on our short game.”

“I’m looking forward to improving as a team, and bonding as the season goes on,” Bornstein said.