STELLAR PREP CAREER ENDS DECORATED SAUGUS STAR SHOWS GAME'S IMPROVEMENTS.Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer MURRIETA - Melanie de Leon played her final high school match Monday, coming up short of her hoped-for repeat trip to the state championship after accomplishing more than any other female golfer in Saugus High history. ``It's been great,'' said de Leon, whose 6-over-par 78 in the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Regional championship fell seven shots shy of the final berth in today's state final. ``Every year I've improved, so it's been awesome.'' The progress of this 2003 Daily News Girls' Golfer of the Year has mirrored the advancements of area high school girls' golf in general since she took up the game as a converted travel-team softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' player in 2001. De Leon exits as a three-time Southern Section finalist, two-time Regional finalist and 2004 California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). Junior Girls' champion who shot 69 as a senior after fighting to break 100 as a freshman. That's kind of the way it has gone for area girls' golf overall since the sport became an officially-sanctioned team event in 1998. There were plenty of high scores and few strong postseason contenders then, and for the occasional breakthrough success like Ina Kim of Harvard-Westlake of Studio City - Regional champion in 2000 - there were many more schools that could not field full teams. This year, de Leon had the area's third-best score in Monday's state semifinal at SCGA SCGA Southern California Golf Association SCGA Software Carrier Group Alarm Golf Club, where she was one of more than a half-dozen area competitors whose 2004 production showed them capable of challenging for a top-six finish and state qualification. The growth of the girls' game was especially evident in the Foothill League, which Saugus won during a 67-0 overall run over the past two seasons. Four teams were in title contention going into the final league match. Valencia, Saugus and Hart of Newhall advanced in that order, then all three reached the section final, where Valencia finished 10th in its first appearance. Burbank, also in the league title hunt, wound up fourth and out of the team playoffs but produced the area's only state qualifier qual·i·fi·er n. 1. One that qualifies, especially one that has or fulfills all appropriate qualifications, as for a position, office, or task. 2. Monday, when UNLV-bound senior Grace Woo shot 4-under-par 68. Woo credited the weekly grind 1. GRIND - GRaphical INterpretive Display. A graphics input language for the PDP-9. ["GRIND: A Language and Translator for Computer Graphics", A.P. Conn, Dartmouth, June 1969]. 2. of Foothill tournaments for contributing to the state berth she earned with a six-birdie round. ``This year's league was probably the most competitive and best its ever been,'' Woo said. ``When you see a league with like five, six, seven competitors who are so good, it motivates everyone to do better.'' De Leon came motivated mo·ti·vate tr.v. mo·ti·vat·ed, mo·ti·vat·ing, mo·ti·vates To provide with an incentive; move to action; impel. mo from the start of her conversion to golf: ``In all the years I've taught, I've never had one like her,'' said Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, golf instructor Lee Breckenridge, who followed de Leon during her final high school round, remembering her first lesson. ``You never know,'' he said, ``but you could see she was so tenacious te·na·cious adj. 1. Clinging to another object or surface; adhesive. 2. Holding together firmly; cohesive. tenacious viscid; adhesive. . ``We'd be watching videos and she'd be leaning forward on the edge of her seat wanting to get better. How many players want to get up at 5 a.m. to hit balls into a net?'' After struggling to break 100 as a freshman, de Leon followed with three successive breakthrough years. She won her first of two league MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. awards as a sophomore, reached the state final as a junior and earned four full golf scholarship offers as a senior, choosing Nevada. If intensity and rapid progress are any indication, she will be starting as a college freshman. ``When she shot 69, she was mad that she didn't shoot lower,'' said Saugus coach John Molacek, whose senior star finished five shots ahead of her closest competitor in that first-stage section team qualifier while playing in the rain on a River Ridge River Ridge is the name of more than one location.
De Leon's improvements heading into the college ranks shows the progress of area game which has produced 18 qualifiers for Monday's state semifinal. Dave Shelburne, (818) 713-3609 dave.shelburne(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Saugus' Melanie De Leon ends her prep career as a three-time Southern Section finalist. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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