W. GOLF: DE VILLE'S STAR RISES AS THE SUN SETS ON THE SEASON
After shooting a middle of the pack (86) on Sunday and Monday, De Ville was good enough for tie-for 29th place out of 59 golfers.
On day one of the two-day championship, at Morro Bay State Park Golf Course, first-year Fullerton College Hornet, Geri De Ville, did not blame the undulating, baked out, greens that seemed to defy gravity. No, she cited her putting.
"I pulled several putts. I know I can do better tomorrow", she remarked with the face of warrior going into battle.
A new order for the day would be necessary if she was not to have a Blue Monday, and battle she would, as the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped. While her competitors scores climbed, Ms. DeVille stayed the course and after a less than stellar first nine holes, she dialed into her approach shots and honed her putter and began to fire darts at the pin and drained putts like a champion. Although, scoring in the high 50's to catch first round leader Haruda Koda of College of the Canyons, would have been statistically improbable, improving from day one was well within the realm of attainment.
As Ms. DeVille settled into a steady rhythm of mostly pars on the back nine, as she rifled her final shot on the #8 par 3 to within two yards of the flag, she sat slightly under the hole. As the other members of her threesome had sailed their first shots wide, Ms. DeVille was fully mindful of the task at hand: Drop that final shot for a one-putt birdie. As her fellow competitors cleared the green with a one-over bogey and a two-over bogey respectively, she was left with six feet of turf in front of her and a calming ocean and setting sun in the distance. With no hesitation in her pace, and ice water running through her veins, the ball dropped into the bottom of the cup like stone does to the bottom of a pond, for a final score of 83 and two day total of 169; 25 shots from the leader but climbing to an enviable tied for 20th place overall.
Ending the season on a surge portends promise looking ahead to her next season: Ms. DeVille exclaimed in delight, "I just birdied my last hole of the State Championship".
