MERCED — It was easy to tell that Turlock High senior girls golfer Stephanie Hammell had a good day on Monday, even though the final results weren’t in just yet. It was all in her smile, grinning from ear-to-ear.
The expression came after a long hot day at the Merced Golf & Country Club, where the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I South Championships took place. At the time, Hammell was waiting for the other scores to come in. Only the top three teams and the top six individuals moved on.
Hammell approached the day like it was her last match as a Bulldog.
It wasn’t.
Her 20-over-par 92 was the fourth-best individual finish, and it was enough to advance to the Masters Tournament at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton on Nov. 2. One aspect of her game really helped her.
“My putting was off-the-wall today,” Hammell said. “That was what really saved my stroke.”
Hammell said she didn’t have one bad drive, thanks to her excellent putting — something Hammell relied on during her less-than-stellar performance at the Central California Conference Championships at Stevinson Ranch last week. In Monday’s tournament, she putted a 45 in the final nine holes.
“I played a good game today,” she said. “And that’s what I came in here looking to do.”
Unfortunately, Hammell’s teammates didn’t move on with her, though they were very close to making the cut. The Bulldogs totaled 525 strokes, just 12 off from the top three of Lodi High (486), St. Mary’s High of Stockton (489) and Enochs High of Modesto (513).
Johansen High senior Christine Uhalde repeated as the tournament champion by firing a 74.
But Turlock coach Mary Krupka expressed satisfaction in seeing a number of Bulldogs stepping up to the challenge. Freshman Darcy Woods fired a 99 in her first 18-hole tournament, while fellow freshman Hannah Gong put up a 110 to beat a number of experienced players in the tournament.
Cheyenne Horner was Pitman’s lowest scorer, as she carded a 115. The Pride, making their third consecutive postseason appearance, finished with a team total of 597 to finish last in the field of nine teams.
To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.