In the past three years, College of the Canyons has only been beaten once in Western State Conference play.
The BC women’s golf team wanted to make sure that number was raised to two before the end of this season.
On Nov. 5, they accomplished that goal.
Cyndi Walla and Jeong Yoo led the women to a victory over College of the Canyons at Rio Bravo Country Club with rounds of 81 each.
Golf has only been offered at the high school level locally for four years, said coach Larry Cook, who has been coaching this women’s sport for two years. “So assembling this team took a little imagination.”
With a little sweet talking and the promise of a good time playing golf, Cook got his team, which is one of the most nontraditional teams on campus.
The youngest of his players is old enough to have given birth to some of the college’s younger students. And most didn’t hone their sport on local high school campuses.
“My husband plays golf,” Cyndi Crabtree, 53, explained, “and I didn’t want to be a golf widow.”
Experience – and expertise – apparently, really does come with age. These ‘Gades not only have become full-time re-entry students, but have helped their coach with fund raising to keep the program alive.
Following Walla, 39, and Yoo, 55, with low scores for the team were Treva Cardiel, 64, with an 87, and Crabtree, who shot a 92. Bobbi Plahn, 45, and Gail Walker, 49, shot 94 and 95 respectively.
BC upset COC with a score of 341, narrowly beating the Cougars combined score of 345.
In third place was Santa Barbara, the only other team to beat COC in the normal season, with 352. Fourth went to Citrus with a score of 370, and Moorpark finished with 400 strokes for a fifth-place finish.
“The gals did well,” Cook said. “They are a positive and upcoming thing in our area.”
College of the Canyons and Santa Barbara will be the two teams representing the WSC in the playoffs.
Walla participated in the singles competition, and qualified for state. Cardiel missed the final spot for playoffs by losing to Young Hee Moon from Moorpark in a sudden-death hole after ending the year in a tie. The WSC all-conference team, made up of the 10 best season averages, along with the player of the year, included both Walla and Cardiel.
“These ladies were brought together through different ways,” Cook said. “But they made a great team.”