Vaqueros are sixth after 1st round of Southern Cal Regional

Saralisa Ortega and Laine Johnson shot 89s on Monday and SBCC is sixth in the Southern Cal Regional women's golf tournament at Temecula Creek Inn.

Irvine Valley leads at 338, followed by Fullerton (343), Desert (344) and WSC champion Canyons (349). Palomar is fifth at 377, one stroke better than the Vaqueros.

SBCC is the defending state champion but it will be nearly impossible to advance to the State Final 4 since only the top two teams will move on after Tuesday's final round. The top 13 individuals will also advance to the State Championships on Nov. 16-17 at Morro Bay GC.

Nicole Reynolds posted a 99 for Santa Barbara.

"This was a long, tough course with tough conditions," said coach Chuck Melendez. "The back nine was really difficult with lots of blind shots. I know we can play better tomorrow and hopefully, we'll turn it around."

The final round starts at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

Southern Cal Regional
At par-72 Temecula Creek Inn
First round
 Team -- 1, Irvine Valley 338. 2, Fullerton 343. 3, Desert 344. 4, Canyons 349. 5, Palomar 377. 6, SBCC 378.
 Medalists (par 72) – Lexandra So, Citrus, 75; Laleaga Meredith, Irvine Valley, 75.
 SBCC scores – Saralisa Ortega 89, Laine Johnson 89, Nicole Reynolds 99, Stella Dulay 101, Tiffany Huang 103, Sara Pettersson 113.