After a fourth place finish at the South Coast Tournament to begin the season, Bakersfield College’s women’s golf team won the Desert Open in Palm Springs, California.
BC ended the first day of the Desert Open in second place of six teams, four strokes behind leader Mount San Jacinto College.
Freshman Malea Miller and sophomore Stacie Netzer both shot a 77 with sophomore Dee Ray adding a 79 to help BC keep pace on the leader board.
First year head coach Robert Palliet asked his players before they resumed play the final day to “just play their golf.”
“I asked them to relax, play their game let the game come to them,” said Palliet. “That they could make a mistake, and it wasn’t going to be the end of the world, but just try to clean up the mental things and just do their best and not play super golf.”
Miller finished the two-day tournament with scores of 77 and 75, while Netzer finished with 77 and 79. Ray shot a 77 the second day helping BC’s case for the victory.
Palliet was approached in February about possibly becoming the coach, and he was hired in June after going through the process.
“When I was attending BC (1968-69), I never could have imagined that I would someday join the BC coaching staff,” he said.
“I’m quite honored to follow great coaches and gentlemen like Gerry Collis, Duane Damron , Walt Johnson and so many others that have been at BC. I hope to be a positive influence on our student athletes like they did on me.”
He was the assistant coach the last two years, so he was familiar with BC’s state qualifying team from a year ago.
“We had two returnees from the team that went to the state last year,” he said.
“But we weren’t sure how good we really were with the freshman coming up, and I think this win let the team know they can win and play under a little pressure, which I think made the team grow.”
After losing all-conference golfers Ellen Krausse and Katherine James, Palliet was somber but glad to have a team that is very promising.
“It actually took the pressure off. Before losing two players of that caliber, I don’t think we were expected to win,” he said.
“We do miss Katherine James and Ellen Krausse, but we have two players from last year’s team, in Ray and Netzer. And Miller, who is playing really good golf and I think we have yet to see how good she can really play.”
“Those three are key, we have three now instead of two,” he stated.