Vaqueros take 3rd in South Coast Classic; Farouze shoots 72 for fourth

SBCC placed third on Monday and Stephanie Farouze carded a 1-over 72 to finish fourth in the season-opening South Coast Classic women's golf tournament at Buenaventura GC in Ventura.

Gurman Kaur shot a sizzling 9-under 62 to lead Sierra to a one-stroke win over Canyons (290-291) in the nine-team tourney. The Vaqueros were third at 322 and Desert took fourth with 325 strokes.

Sierra was the State runner-up last year and the Vaqueros finished third.

"That's the best score I've ever seen in women's community college golf," said SBCC coach Chuck Melendez, who's starting his 19th season. "I think the previous best was a 66 by our Carolin Chang a few years ago."

Haruka Koda of Canyons was second at 69, Melanie Anderson of Sierra took third at 70 and Farouze was fourth with her career-low 72.

Canyons captured WSC No. 1, which was also held on Monday. The Cougars beat SBCC by 31 shots (291 to 322). Bakersfield was third at 358. Koda was the medalist with her 69 and Farouze was second in the six-team WSC event at 72.

Five of the seven players on the Vaquero roster are returning sophomores, including Farouze, who grew up in Japan. Lauren Calvin shot 81 for Santa Barbara, Corina Garcia turned in an 84 and Juliet Parsons shot 85.

"Stephanie played well and it could have been better if she hadn't missed a few short putts," said Melendez. "We have a lot of potential and a lot of room for improvement.

"This is a really good group. They enjoy the game and I think they'll work hard to improve all year long."

 The Vaqueros will compete in the Desert Classic in Palm Springs on Friday and Saturday.

South Coast Classic
At par-71 Buenaventura GC
Final scores
 Team -- 1, Sierra 290. 2, Canyons 291. 3, SBCC 322. 4, Desert 325. 5, Mt. SAC 348. 6, Bakersfield 358. 7, Citrus 378. 8, Moorpark 406. 9, Antelope Valley 449.
 Medalist -- 1, Gurman Kaur, Sierra 62. 2, Haruka Koda, Canyons, 69. 3, Melanie Anderson, Sierra, 70. 4, Stephanie Farouze, SBCC, 72.
 SBCC leaders -- 4, Farouze 72, Lauren Calvin 81, Corina Garcia 84.

WSC No. 1
At par-71 Buenaventura GC
 Team -- 1, Canyons 291. 2, SBCC 322. 3, Bakersfield 358. 4, Citrus 378. 5, Moorpark 406. 6, AVC 449.
 Medalist -- 1, Haruka Koda, Canyons, 69. 2, Stephanie Farouze, SBCC, 72. 3 (tie), Georgia Shevitt, Moorpark, 73; Jessie Lin, Canyons, 73.
 SBCC scores – 4, Farouze 72, Lauren Calvin 81, Corina Garcia 84, Juliet Parsons 85, Alexa Bleth 87, Kayla Karst 98.
 WSC standings -- Canyons 5-0, SBCC 4-1, Bakersfield 3-2, Citrus 2-3, Moorpark 1-4, Antelope Valley 0-5.
 SBCC records -- 6-2 overall, 4-1 WSC.