Chang, Doub key fast start at State Championships

Carolin Chang shot 76 on Sunday and Isabella Doub posted a 79 to guide SBCC to the first-round lead in the CCCAA Women's Golf State Championships at Morro Bay Golf Course.

Chang is tied for second with Jamie Lopez of Citrus, one stroke behind the leader, Fumika Matsumoto of Desert. Doub, a freshman from Santa Barbara High, is tied for fourth.

Chang, a freshman from Taiwan, has won WSC and Southern Cal Regional titles in the last two weeks.

SBCC, the WSC champion, had all four scoring players shoot 84 or better. Danielle Picard fired an 83 and Vanesa Villa shot 84. The Vaqueros totaled 322 and lead Citrus, the WSC runner-up, by 15 shots. Sierra is third at 349 and Reedley, the Northern Cal champ, shot 350.

Only six players broke 80 on a rainy, windy day. Heavy rain postponed the start by an hour and the winds whipped up in the afternoon.

"It rained pretty hard in the morning, then the wind got up to 30 mph and higher after a few hours," said SBCC coach Chuck Melendez. "I was proud of the way our team stuck with it. We've had different people stepping up each time. Isabella and Danielle played great and Carolin was her usual self, although she didn't putt as well as she can.

"322 is a very good score in these conditions. We're in excellent position but we still have to perform tomorrow."

The Vaqueros are seeking their fourth state championship in the last 10 years. They won California Community College titles in 2006, 2008 and 2013. None of the other schools has won a state title.

The final round gets underway on Monday at 8 a.m.

CCCAA State Championships
First round
At par-72 Morro Bay GC
 Team – 1, SBCC 322. 2, Citrus 337. 3, Sierra 349. 4, Reedley 350.
 Medalist – 1, Fumika Matsumoto, Desert, 75. 2 (tie), Carolin Chang, SBCC, 76; Jamie Lopez, Citrus, 76. 4 (tie), Isabella Doub, SBCC, 79.
 SBCC scores – Chang 76, Doub 79, Danielle Picard 83, Vanesa Villa 84, Natalya Cruz 86, Miraya Ramirez 93.