Taylor Bridges of Redwood tees off during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Elizabeth Liu of Branson hits a tee shot during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Ryan Magnusson of Archie Williams tees off during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Anna Han of Branson tees off during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Elizabeth Liu of Branson sinks a long birdie put on her final hole of the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
The Redwood girls golf team holds the championship banner after winning the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Elizabeth Liu of Branson (left) hi-fives Ryan Magnusson after a long birdie put on their final hole of the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Dani McPherson of Marin Catholic putts during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
(Left to right) Ryan Magnusson of Archie Williams, Elizabeth Liu of Branson, and Camryn Stewart of Marin Catholic prepare to tee off during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Sissy Lim of Redwood putts during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Taylor Bridges of Redwood hits a shot out of the bunker during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Taylor Bridges of Redwood hits an approach shot during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Valentina Gudino of San Marin hits a tee shot during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Cecily Hadd of Marin Catholic his an approach shot during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Piper Egan of Terra Linda hits a tee shot during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Leilani Brennan of San Marin hits a tee shot during the MCAL girls golf tournament at the Meadow Club golf course in Fairfax, Calif. on Oct. 17, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
The Giants tried not to celebrate too early, not until the final individual scores were posted Monday, but it was a little hard for them not to smile after the kind of day the Redwood High girls had at the MCAL Championships.
Katelyn Van Dusen turned in the third-lowest score of the day, an 81, to help give Redwood the edge it needed to hold off The Branson School and claim the team pennant. When the scores finally were tallied, the Giants finished at 331, nine strokes ahead of 2021 champion Branson (340). Marin Catholic (429) took third and San Marin (438) was fourth.
Redwood and Branson enjoyed an intense, but friendly, rivalry all season, even as the regular-season title came down to final match, a 165-170 head-to-head win for Redwood over Branson.
“This has been a super-exciting season,” said Van Dusen. “The last match was tough, but we wanted to win this season. Our only two losses last season were to Branson. We all came back this season feeling super-competitive.”
Sissy Lim and Ainsley Gallagher each posted 83s for Redwood, which finished the regular season 16-0. Taylor Bridges (84) rounded out the top-four scoring for the Giants. In fact, all six of the Giants in the team competition shot in the 80s at the scenic Meadow Club. Redwood’s seventh entry, Gracie Rider, who was playing as an individual, shot a 92.
The Bulls’ Elizabeth Liu amazed almost everyone but herself with the 2-over-par 73 that earned her the low medalist award.
“I’m lucky that my teammates and I practice and play here during the season. That took the competition and made it more relaxing. We’re all just a bunch of friends out there,” said Liu, who birded three of her final four holes.
Branson’s Anna Han and Aimee Yang each shot an 83 and Phoebe Yates came in a 101.
“It’s been a journey this season,” said Liu, whose Bulls finished 14-2. “Playing last year as a freshman, there were no expectations. This year, the expectations were there, but we were able to work through it.”
Camryn Stewart led Marin Catholic with an 89 and Leilani Brennan’s 99 set the pace for San Marin.
“We had a good season this year,” said Stewart, whose Wildcats finished third in the regular-season standings. “We all just tried to play our best, and I think we did a good job of that, just like today.”
The course played unevenly for the golfers Monday, with some low scores and several that climbed with the altitude of the surrounding hills. Some described their outings as a “horror show”, or a “disaster.”
That wasn’t the case for Archie Williams’ Ryan Magnusson, who shot a 79, the second-best score of the day.
“It went well, except for a few putts,” Magnusson said. “I just tried to relax in my swing and stance. … I knew I could meet a certain score if I could just keep level. I actually surpassed my goal.”
Van Dusen said she struggled at the start a little, but she rounded out the day with a 40 on the back nine.
“There was one hole, I thought about trying for a hole-in-one, but not really,” Van Dusen said. “I was nervous at the start of the day, but just relaxed as we kept walking.”
Terra Linda’s Piper Egan (97), Tam’s Lola Spendov (101) and San Rafael’s Isabelle Nicandri (110) rounded out the individual scoring.
The North Coast Section Division II Individual Qualifier is set for Monday, Oct. 24 at Rooster Run Golf Course in Petaluma.
