A 73 by Pitman’s Beckwith leads field at Section D-I South girls golf tourney

Taylor Beckwith’s game has peaked at exactly the right time.

The Pitman High School senior, steady and confident, negotiated Creekside in a 1-over-par 73 for the medalist honor Monday at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I South Girls Tournament. No one in the field of 68 was within two strokes.

“I turned it on late in the summer,” said Beckwith, who will make her fourth consecutive trip to the section Masters next week at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton. “I made some swing changes and started to shoot lower scores.”

Beckwith, who hasn’t decided where she will play next year, worked through a busy summer on the Junior Golf Association of Northern California circuit. She earned seven top-five finishes and placed 27th on the points list.

Her game blossomed later, however, and she averaged 38 in nine-hole matches this season for Pitman. It all came together at Creekside, where she often practices.

Beckwith lofted a 56-degree wedge from about 60 yards to within three feet for a birdie at the par-5 first. From there, she added birdies at the sixth and 15th.

“I had a couple of three-putts, so it could have been a little better,” she said. “Creekside is not my team’s course, but it’s my home course. ... It’s been a rough season. I had a couple of rough weeks in there, but I pulled it out.”

Beckwith is one of six individual qualifiers and three teams who will advance to Masters. Enochs, the Modesto Metro Conference champion for the sixth time in seven years, dropped a playoff with Turlock for the third and final team spot.

The Eagles were beaten by Turlock, the 12-time reigning Central California Conference champion, 21-15 in a one-hole playoff at Creekside’s first. Turlock sophomore Brooke Adams virtually clinched the win by holing a chip from about 60 feet for a par. The teams tied at 460 strokes apiece behind champion Lincoln (446) and runner-up Lodi (454), the top tandem from the Tri-City Athletic League. Enochs nearly earned its first team bid to Masters since 2009.

“I just told the girls to do their best,” Enochs coach Matt Doyle said. “There were four or five good teams here, and we were one of them.”

Nevertheless, Enochs senior Alyse Padilla (83) and junior Mbeneka Maithya (84) will join Downey sophomore Samantha Smedshammer (83) at Masters. It will be the third consecutive Masters appearance for Padilla, who scored a hole in one at The Reserve last year en route to an 83.

“I played good today,” she summarized. “I struggled with a few tee shots and putting.”

Turlock, which shared the CCC title with Buhach Colony, was paced by senior Brooke Vierra with a 78. Vierra double-bogeyed the 14th but recovered with four straight pars.

“I kept telling myself, ‘Make pars and get out of here,’ ” Vierra said.

Elsewhere in the section:

D-III, at Bing Maloney, Sacramento – East Union senior Brooke Riley shot a 4-under 68, despite two three-putts and a double-bogey, to lead the Lancers to a second-place finish behind Vista del Lago. Both teams will advance to Masters. Riley placed second individually behind Vista del Lago’s Emilee Hoffman (65), who shared medalist honors with Riley at the 2014 Masters. Promising Oakdale freshman Taylor Stewart posted a 77 and missed a trip to The Reserve by one stroke.

D-IV, at Sierra View, Roseville – Central Valley senior Janita Vongphoumey, the best of the Western Athletic Conference, turned in an 82 and notched one of the three individual qualifying spots for Masters. Livingston junior Alexi Gonzalez had a 91 and became the first golfer in school history to advance to the section’s top tournament.

D-V, at Micke Grove, Lodi – Valley Foothill League North champion Ripon trailed first-place Capital Christian by 13 strokes to end its season. Advancing as individuals were juniors Megan Popovich of Sonora (85) and Hannah Ellsworth of Bret Harte (87).

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 6:50 PM with the headline "A 73 by Pitman’s Beckwith leads field at Section D-I South girls golf tourney."