She may be only a sophomore, but Mira Costa’s Andrea Lee ended her prep career Thursday going out on top.
Lee, who competes in numerous junior tournaments, decided to return to the Mustang squad this season and it paid off.
In the field of 54 participants, Lee was the only golfer to shoot under par, finishing with a 4-under 67 to win the CIF/CGA/NCGA Girls Golf State Championship presented by Farmers held at Quail Lodge Golf Course in Carmel.
“It’s really exciting for me to be able to compete in the state championship,” Lee said. “I wasn’t able to play last year because of a shoulder injury, so I wanted to pull through and try and win this year. I think that the key to winning state was just to stay patient throughout the round, minimize mistakes, and try to take advantage of the par 5’s. I was just trying to take it one shot at a time and have fun.”
Lee’s putting game was on and birdies on the par-4 11th hole and par-5 14th put her 2-under par at the turn. She then pulled away from the pack with two birdies before making par on the final six holes.
“It feels amazing to end my high school golf career this way,” Lee added. “There are so many great players in California and it’s awesome to come out on top. I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved this season.”
West Torrance senior Erin Choi also finished her high school career shooting 71 to finish in a five-way tie for second place.
Mira Costa’s coach Tim Kelley was on hand to support Lee, who had qualified for the state championship as an individual after finishing in a five-way tie for third at The Golf Club in Rancho California.
“I have been extremely impressed with Andrea’s game since I started watching her as a freshman,” Kelley said. “She has a complete set of golf skills. She can make adjustments that I have not seen most kids be able to do. So when it comes down to the scoring she puts herself in the best positions to go low. She did this during the state tournament.
She had a practice round and seemed to miss a lot of short putts, but she was able to make adjustments before the actual round and this allowed her to not miss any during that round. When she had opportunities to save par or make birdies she did. She finished with four birdies but truly had chances at about eight. That feat in itself is impressive.”
Lee said it was special to have her coach there with her.
“He really supported me throughout my high school golf career and helped me with everything regarding school,” Lee said. “He was the best high school golf coach I could ask for.”
Kelley said Lee was only the second Mira Costa golfer to reach the state tournament. Lee’s teammate, senior Megan Kim, advanced to the state tournament in her sophomore year but did not place.
Mira Costa fell just short of qualifying for the state tournament as a team, finishing fourth behind Torrey Pines, Diamond Bay and only eight strokes behind final qualifier Walnut.
Lee shot a 70, Kim shot 74, Marnina Murez finished at 78 and Ashley Kim recorded a 79 for Mira Costa.
Torrey Pines captured the state championship with 364 and Diamond Bar and Walnut tied for second at 396 with Diamond Bar getting the nod on the sixth-golfer tiebreaker.
“Our team was a bit disappointed that we weren’t able to advance and I know that we could’ve played a lot better,” Lee said. “But overall, I’m really proud that we made it that far. We practiced a lot going into these tournaments. We tried our best, and that’s all that I can ask for from my team.”
Lee will now concentrate on school and continue practicing nearly every day future junior tournaments.
Kelley said the season was “magical” and was not disappointed his girls team did not qualify for the state tournament.
“The girls were a great group who really responded to the team aspect for much of the season, knowing it would in turn help all the individuals get the best shot at making it to State,” Kelley added. “We eclipsed what we did last year and that in itself is tough to do in a single season. I am very proud of them putting the best individual scores together for the most part during the last and toughest round. The girls felt like they left it on the course and things just didn’t quite fall together.”
Lee will now concentrate on school and practice nearly everyday for future junior tournaments.
“During the weekdays I either go to The Lakes in El Segundo or Harbor Golf Practice Center,” Lee said. “During the weekends, I usually go to Industry Hills to practice short game or play a round.
“I have the Polo Golf Junior Classic at PGA National in Florida coming up, so I’m really looking forward to that,” Lee said. “I just played the Winn Junior Cup in Las Vegas at Rio Secco Golf Club and it’s where they took two boys and two girls from both the west and east coasts to compete against each other. We were lucky enough to have (professionals) Natalie Gulbis and Butch Harmon as our team captains. They gave us a lot of tips and good advice, and for them to just be out there and spend their time with us was just amazing.”
“Andrea has a rigorous national tournament circuit that she’s involved in and the idea of only playing high school golf for two years is understandable,” Kelley said. “She truly wants to balance her golf and academics. This is tough to do at any school not just Mira Costa, but time will tell if she finds the desire to come back out for the enjoyment of playing with a team. Either way it has been a pleasure and an honor to watch and possibly influence even if only in an enjoyment aspect during high school.”
Lee said she looking forward to playing in college at USC, UCLA or Stanford.
“I’m not sure what I will major in yet but probably business, economics, or communications,” Lee said. “I don’t want to turn professional early because I want to experience college life and compete in the collegiate level.”
