Golfin’ Dolphins Cap Breakthrough Season

Palisades High golfer Maury Marin talks about her performance at the league finals in Encino.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Although the last match of the season did not produce the results the players hoped for, just participating in Monday’s City Section Championships was a victory for Palisades High’s girls golf team.

It marked the first time the Golfin’ Dolphins have ever qualified for the City finals – quite an achievement for a program that was reinstated the year before.

“I’m proud of all the girls for the effort they put forth all season and it really showed in the scores,” said Coach James Paleno, who hopes to build the girls team into a dynasty like the Pali High boys squad, which has won three consecutive City titles. “Today was disappointing but we start building for next year right now. I’d like to get them back out there for a practice round.”

Palisades was one of only five teams to qualify for the finals at Balboa Golf Course in Encino and when the scorecards were collected, Granada Hills was in first place with a five-player total of 406. North Hollywood shot 449 to finish second, followed by Van Nuys (483), Venice (521) and Palisades (569).

Alegra Gurian was the last Dolphins player off the course, but she wound up with the team’s lowest score, firing a 47 on the back nine for an 18-hole total of 100, two shots shy of a playoff with two other girls for the 12th and final individual qualifying spot in the Southern California Regionals.

“The front nine was tougher but once I got into a rhythm I came really close to a couple birdies,” said Gurian, whose best at Balboa is a 90. “My drives were good today but I had trouble with my putts. A few of them hit the rim of the cup and slid off. Those two shots are going to haunt me, but I’m happy I made it to City.”

Melanie Matayoshi (107), Sophia Eberlein (110), Maury Marin (113) and Camila Paleno (139) rounded out the scoring for Palisades. Senior captain Izzy Simmons tried playing despite a back injury that flared up, but she had to withdraw after nine holes.

Carol Cheng of Granada Hills and Amanda Lee of Cleveland each shot a 1-under par 72, but Cheng was declared champion with a better back nine score.
University’s Kara Temena, the City 3 League champion, carded an 82 to earn a spot at regionals.

Eberlein was Palisades’ first finisher and preferred the colder conditions. She birdied the par 4 11th hole with a 12-foot putt.

“It was downhill left to right and I had to read the curve,” said of her birdie putt. “I shot a 48 on the back nine but I got a 10 on the third hole and that cost me.”

Matayoshi’s total was two strokes better than her score in the league finals a few days earlier on the same course.

“Last time it was windy,” Matayoshi said. “It was nice and calm today, but there was a little more pressure today.”

Marin shot 17-over at league finals, where the Golfin’ Dolphins finished second behind Venice. Five players medaled by placing in the top 10. Marin (90) was third, Paleno (103) was seventh, Eberlein (104) was eighth, Gurian (108) was ninth and Simmons (108) was 10th. Gurian, Abby Brown, Matayoshi and Carly Weitz also represented Palisades.

Temena shot a 6-over par 79 to take first place.

“This course is harder [than Penmar] but having new clubs and knowing how far each one goes really helped,” said Camila Paleno, the coach’s niece. “I parred some of the shorter holes.”

Marin was the Dolphins’ low scorer three times this season – including the final league match when Palisades won for the first time in two years. She birdied the 10th hole at league finals with a 10-foot putt.

“Penmar has more par 3s and 4s and this has some par 5s so it’s more difficult, but the fairways here are wider, which is good because I tend to hit it to the right or left,” Marin said of Balboa. “My putting used to be the strength of my game but now it’s driving.”

Marin has also benefited from new clubs courtesy of the Booster Club and Optimist Club.

“Our motto is to have fun and do our best. We don’t have a set score in mind,” Marin said. “It’s been an amazing season. We never thought we’d come this far.”

Palisades failed to reach the City finals last season, nor did any of the players qualify as individuals. The next step for the Golfin’ Dolphins is to win the league title.

“Making City [finals] is really an accomplishment,” Paleno said. “Part of that is a byproduct of practicing and part of it is having the right equipment. We went from 297 as a team last year to 254 this year – that’s a big improvement.”