By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Bulldogs golf edges out Pride ahead of high stakes tournament
Turlock girls golf
Isabella Dowd helped her Bulldogs secure a league victory against the Pride (PAWAN NAIDU/The Journal).

The Turlock Bulldogs and the Pitman Pride girls golf teams squared off for a nine-hole match at the Turlock Golf and Country Club on Tuesday. The Bulldogs ultimately came out on top with strong performances from the entire team.

Turlock walked away with the win and a final score of 213, while the Pride ended with a final score of 271.

“We did well out there today. As a team we had a lot of good scores. Savannah and Sydney led the way with scores of 36 and 38, which was nice. And the rest of the team had good scores in the 40s,” said Turlock head coach Mary Krupka. “It’s a real testament to the girls’ work ethic and it will help us as we go into next year. We just have to keep working and improving, which the girls have been doing, and I’m really proud of them.”

Freshman Savannah Van Gaalen led the Bulldogs with a sharp performance, shooting a 36 on the day. Sophomore Sydney Streeter finished not too far behind with a score of 38, while senior Madie Mendes and Junior Natalie Lightfoot also contributed with key strokes and ended with a score of 46 each.

The Pride were led by junior Monet Sayadian with a score of 46 and senior Candence Perry also had a nice showing with a score of 50.

“Give a lot of credit to the Turlock girls, they did really well. And for our girls to find enjoyment in the game, that’s what it’s all about. It can be daunting to play against someone you know is going to score in the 30s. Golf’s a funny game, and I think our girls did well out there,” said Pitman head coach Jonn Derr.

Pitman girls golf
Junior Monet Sayadian led the way for the Pride with her sharp putting and finished with a score of 46 (PAWAN NAIDU/The Journal).

Towards the middle of the match the wind picked up and added an extra challenge to the golfers, however, both coaches agreed the teams handled it well and did not let it affect the game.

“Our scores weren’t evident the wind was a problem. With the wind being as bad as it’s been, I would have expected them to get worse and they didn’t get worse,” said Derr.

Up next for the Bulldogs is the CCAL Championship tournament. The stakes are high because Turlock currently is in first place and they need to win the tournament to secure a solo first place finish. If they don’t, they could end up sharing the league title with another school.

“This was a good lead into our tournament on Monday, hopefully, we can play like this on Monday,” said Krupka.

As for the Pride, they will also compete in the tournament and are hoping to finish third in the league. Derr was impressed how the team’s pace of play improved during the season.