Holmdel girls golf takes team, individual titles at Shore Conference Tournament

NEPTUNE – Sirina Ganne’s streak of big-time performances in top high school girls golf tournaments continued Monday, as the Holmdel junior won her second straight Shore Conference Tournament title with a dazzling putting display on Jumping Brook’s treacherous greens, while leading the Hornets to the team title.

This time it was an even-par 72 that gave Ganne a four-shot victory over Marlboro junior Kashish Malik, who had the lead at the midway point of the round, with Trinity Hall’s Lauren Nam getting third with a 79, two shots clear of Howell’s Peyton Cerminaro, a past champion.

“I have definitely tried really hard to prepare and I’ve learned since last year that when you play good all the work is done before the round,” said Ganne, who won the individual title at last year’s NJSIAA State Championship Tournament, and annexed the Monmouth County Tournament two weeks ago. “It starts even before the tournament starts, so really understanding that. I think I worked really hard over the fall winter and spring. I just feel prepared.”

That level of preparation has not been lost on Holmdel coach Kathy Bradley, whose team shot 358 to outdistance second-place Marlboro, which finished at 395, 11 shots ahead of third-place Rumson-Fair Haven.

“She is very focused on what is ahead of her,” Bradley said. “She was out here practicing (Sunday). She’s a great captain. She brought another player with her, and when I saw Olivia Kim today she’s like, ‘coach, I’m hitting it really great. Sirina showed me what to do with my swing.’

More: Shore girls high school golf: Complete results from Monmouth, Ocean County championships

“She’s an all-around golfer. She is happy to impart her wisdom on others. And her and Minna Liang are best friends and both great captains for us.”

Liang, a sophomore, placed seventh overall with an 85. Freshman Lia Gordon added a 93, while Kim, a junior, shot 108.

“When I checked the leaderboard I was so excited to see our team in first,” Ganne said. . We have a lot of new players, and last year we had senior Alex (Schual) and she was really good. We have a new freshman this year and Mia, Natalie (Kline) and Olivia, from the beginning of the season they have all gotten so much better. I can tell just watching in practice they’ve gotten so much better. A lot of them aren’t that used to playing 18-hole golf, and I think it’s amazing they’re playing so well.”

Solid play late

Ganne was 3-over-par after her first seven holes, even with a great par on No. 2, sinking a 15-footer after an errant second shot. But back-to-back birdies on par-5s to close out the front nine at 1-over-par left her, one shot behind Malik. After Malik bogeyed No. 11 to fall back into a tie, both Ganne and Malik, playing the same group, made birdie at No. 12 to get to even-par.

Malik fell back with a bogey on No. 13 and a double-bogey on No. 14.

“I think my strength today was my short game for sure,” said Ganne, who got up-and-down from a greenside bunker for birdie on the par-5, 12th hole. “It’s always really important on this course because it’s very challenging for your long game, as I saw today. I hit some shots that weren’t ideal. But my short game came in handy. I made a lot of putts. These greens are really tough. So I’m glad my putting was good today, and so were my wedges.”

One of Ganne’s post-tournament rituals includes talking to her older sister, Megha, a sophomore at Stanford who just finished fourth at the Pac 12 championship, as Stanford won the team title, building momentum for the upcoming NCAA Championships.

“She’s always really happy when I play good,” Sirina Ganne said. “I’ll tell her how I played and I end up telling her the funny things that happened during the round, and we just catch up.”

RESULTS

Team: 1. Holmdel 358; 2. Marlboro 395; 3. Rumson-Fair Haven 406; 4. St. Rose 418; 5. Southern 433; 6. Barnegat 451; 7. Ranney 476; 8. Jackson Memorial 487.

Individual: 1. Sirina Ganne (Holmdel) 72; 2. Kashish Malik (Marlboro) 76; 3. Lauren Nam (Trinity Hall) 79; 4. Peyton Cerminaro (Howell) 81; 5. tie, Yasmeen Muhammad (Barnegat), Alex Presutti (Ranney) 84; 7. Minna Liang (Holmdel) 85; 8. Tatiana Konczyk (St. Rose) 88; 9. tie, Ruby Haloukas (Howell), Riley Lawrence (Shore), Morgan Tyhanic (Pinelands) 90; 12. tie, Mia Martinez (Pinelands), Reese Corcoran (Ocean) 92; 14. Lia Gordon (Holmdel) 93; 15. tie, Ellery Donaldson (Rumson, Ryleigh Lutehold (Manalapan) 94; 17. tie, Samantha Reilly (Southern), Gabrielle Vega (Toms River South), Ava Ciaglia (Marlboro) 96; 20. Caroline Hickey (Rumson) 98; 21. Colleen Ragan (St. Rose) 99; 22. Addison Salais (Jackson Liberty) 101; 23. tie, Cecilia Esquieres (St. Rose), Haley Austin (Lacey) 103; 25. Cloe Wright (Jackson Memorial) 104; 26. Isabella Compitella (Southern) 106; 27. tie., Bella Gesell (Rumson), Audrey Winters (Rumson), Hanna Jang (Marlboro) 107; 30. tie, Olivia Kim (Holmdel), Dylan Davis (Rumson) 108; 32. Jillian Becker (Pinelands) 109; 33. Capri Yarosz (Colts Neck) 111; 34. tie, Brianna Klohn (Donovan Catholic), Laina Foster (Southern) 112; 36. tie, Sage Farina (Toms River North), Riley Stryker (Toms River North) 113; 38. Gabriella Perrini (Marlboro) 116.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Sirina Ganne, Holmdel win Shore Conference NJ girls golf championships