Absence hurts locals

Three weeks ago, the Laguna Beach girls’ golf team scored a big victory over Estancia.

Monday, the Eagles evened the score.

In another key Golden West League match-up between the teams, the Eagles, taking advantage of a key missing Breaker, posted a 230-264 victory on its home greens at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club’s Mesa Linda course.

The outcome left the two teams tied for the league lead in the final week of the regular season.

Laguna had defeated the Eagles by four strokes back on Oct. 1 at San Clemente Country Club.

But their battles aren’t over: During Monday’s upcoming league finals on the same course, Laguna and Estancia will go at it again, this time in an 18-hole playoff to determine the league’s No. 1 entry into the CIF playoffs that begin the second week in November.

Laguna was 8-1 in league and 10-4 overall, heading into its final league match Thursday against Westminster. The score from that match wasn’t available at press time but a Breakers victory, coupled with an Estancia win in its league finale against Orange also played Thursday, would leave the teams as co-league champs.

Laguna won its first league championship in the sport a year ago.

“Monday’s another big day for us,” Laguna Coach Val Quigley said of the impending league finals tournament. “I didn’t think we had that fire in our bellies against Estancia that I had hoped we would have. Missing Karina really seemed to deflate the team.”

Karina Shaw, last year’s league player of the year and again one of the league’s top performers, missed Monday’s match. The senior team captain and one of the team’s top two golfers, was on a college visit back East over the weekend, said Quigley, adding that she delayed telling the rest of the team her team about Shaw’s absence until just before Monday’s match.

Shaw, she said, desperately wanted to be playing with her teammates.

“She didn’t want to miss this match, but this trip was planned,” Quigley said.

The match originally was scheduled for Tuesday — and Shaw would have been present for that match — but was moved to Monday because of work taking place Tuesday on the Mesa Linda course, Quigley said.

“She has a way of firing up the team and her not being there really seemed to deflate the girls. But Estancia shot well and a couple of their girls shot a 42.”

Junior Kim Haycraft and sophomore Ashley Peters are the “couple of girls” who shot seven-over-par 42 to share medalist honors for the Eagles. Teammates Jackie Crosson and Nushin Tasbihchi both shot 48 and Nicole Irigoyen shot 50.

Laguna, one the other hand, had just one player — Grace Komoroczy — shoot under 50. The ever-dependable Komoroczy, the Breakers’ other top golfer, shot 44. Other Laguna scores: Jenni Coury (52), Austen Grossman (55), Taylor Weiss (56) and Ladan Davia (57).

The top 12 players from Monday’s first day of league finals, advance to Tuesday’s final round.

“I want to see that fire back, that motivation, in our girls,” Quigley said. “I know it sounds silly, but getting that first putt to within two feet of the hole, something we did the first time we played Estancia, is crucial. I think our girls will be ready for Monday and it’ll be nice to have Karina back.”