Girls' golf: back and better than ever

While football or basketball might be the first sports to come to your mind when you hear high school sports, it’s time to widen your vocabulary to include girls’ golf. That’s right, our Samo girls’ golf team is the group to watch this season. Led by captain Sarah Ogata (’20) and co-captain Jessica Engfer (’21), and under the coaching guidance of Justin LeStrange, the team is hoping for a very successful year. This season did start out with some apprehension, as the team size shrunk following graduation of the 2019 class. However, the team publicized the program and managed to build a roster of 11 players. Engfer is optimistic about the future of the team this season. “It doesn’t seem like a lot [of players], but golf is more of an individual sport so each player is crucial,” Engfer said. They feel, that despite a large number of new players compared to last year, they will only be stronger as a team.  Ogata explains the great success she thinks can come from this season and is excited to foster bonds with her teammates that will hopefully lead them into the CIF playoffs and further. “I’m hopeful for this season. It was tough at first since we lost half of our team, but we have some great new recruits who are ready to compete. Above all, I have seen so much commitment and dedication to creating bonds with each other; we’re developing a sense of being on a real team. It’s a great thing to see being captain,” Ogata said The team is looking forward to their first game against Torrance on Sept. 16th.  “We aren’t expecting to take home a win, but we are excited for the opportunity to learn from the other girls,” Ogata said.  Although they are yearning to do well with their new and improved team, the girl golfers are looking for more than just wins this season. Golf is a “social sport,” so they are excited to create bonds with girls from other teams, improve team cohesion and win the CIF championship.