Khin, Pirates in the hunt at 3C2A golf finals
NIPOMO -- The Orange Coast College women's golf team is right in the thick of the picture at the 2024 3C2A Women's Golf State Championships after the opening round of action on Sunday at Monarch Dunes Golf Club.
The Pirates finished Day 1 with a team score of 323, which puts OCC in fourth place overall, with Modesto (308) leading the way, followed by Reedley (316) and Mt. San Antonio (317) occupying the top three slots. Close behind Coast includes Sacramento City (329) and Moorpark (336), with Cuyamaca (351), Santa Barbara (354) and Napa Valley (369) rounding out the team scores.
But the BIG story on Sunday for the Pirates was the strong play of freshman standout Moe Pyae Sone Khin, who set the pace for the entire 65-player field after battling the state's toughest lineup and some chilly,windy conditions and shot an even-par, 71.
Khin came out strong and after her first 11 holes, she was sitting at a solid 2-over-par. But from there, Khin went birdie-birdie-birdie-par-birdie over her next five holes to get to 2-under par before a bogey-bogey finished ended her stellar round at even par, the lone player to shoot par or better as the early winter-like climate took its toll on the field.
Close behind Khin is College of the Canyons' standout Sahya Kitabatake, who is two shots off the pace after carding a 2-over-par, 73. Moorpark's Lisette Orellana and Mt. SAC's Kaitlyn Wang are also in the individual standings hunt after each shooting a 4-over, 75.
Delylah Collins joined Khin on OCC's "under-80 squad" after shooting an 8-over-par, 79. Other top OCC scores include Jeanie Tahvildari (84), Lillian Thurston (89), Sophia Tipton (95) and Taylor Tuxford (97).
Day 2 of the 3C2A Women's Golf State Championships will take place on Monday at Monarch Dunes Golf Club, beginning at 7:30 a.m.
