Gauchos finish fourth, qualify for state

The Saddleback women's golf team qualified for the state tournament on Monday after finishing fourth at the Southern California Regional Finals at Alisal River Golf Course in Solvang.  The Gauchos were paced by Brittney Do, who finished third in medalist play.

Saddleback knew going into the tournament that the top four teams were going to advance to the state tournament.  They accomplished their goal with room to spare, finishing 58 shots clear of the fifth place team.

Saddleback had a sensational opening round on Sunday when they finished tied for second place and had a 26-shot cushion on the fifth place team.  They increased the lead by 32 shots on Monday with a team score of 335, finishing five shots out of third place and 17 shots out of second.  College of the Canyons paced the region with a two-day total of 603, winning by 44 shots.

Do had a tremendous two days in Solvang, finishing 4-over par after rounds of 72 and 76.  She was eight shots off the lead set by Canyons' Jesse Lin and three shots back of Canyons' Haruka Koda. 

Finishing second for Saddleback over the two days was Anna Stowers, who opened with an 87 on Sunday and shot 85 on Monday for a two-day total of 172.  Tannaz Khazeni shot 174 (86+88), Sunhae Son 176 (90+86) and Tomoko Kim 179 (84+95). 

Saddleback advances to the CCCAA State Tournament at Morro Bay Golf Course in Morro Bay, California.  The tournament is a two-day event, starting this Sunday. 

Saddleback finished fifth at the SoCal Finals a season ago, missing the state tournament by an eyelash.  Do qualified for the state tournament last season as an individual, finishing fourth at the state finals in medalist play. 

Saddleback last qualified for the state tournament as a team in 2016, finishing eighth. 

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL TEAM SCORES