CMS Women's Golf Holds Off Pomona-Pitzer for SCIAC Title

CHINO HILLS, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's golf team was able to make big shots on the closing holes to hold off a rally from Pomona-Pitzer and win the 2024 SCIAC Championship by five strokes on Tuesday at Los Serranos Country Club.

CMS had its best day on Tuesday's final round, shooting a 284 (-4) to match Pomona-Pitzer, which came from 10 shots down at one point on Tuesday to close to within two, before the Athenas were able to hang on for the win. The Athenas shot 293 and 299 on the first two rounds, finishing with an 876 over the three days. 

Jessie Kong finished in a tie for third to earn her way into the awards ceremony as an individual, ending at +2 for the tournament, including -2 on Tuesday's final round. Esther Lee was fifth at +3, Ella Chiu came in seventh at +4, while Stella Cheng was ninth at +6 and Christine Yu finished 13th, including a -1 on Tuesday to help secure the team title. 

Pomona-Pitzer had a flurry of birdies on the back nine to cut into the CMS lead, with 10 combined on holes 12-16. The Athenas were able to hold them off as Kong and Cheng both birdied 16 and 17 back-to-back, and Yu added a birdie on 16. Esther Lee was in the final grouping and put the finishing touches on the win with an approach shot from over 100 yards that came within a foot of the pin, tapping in for the clinching birdie. 

CMS jumped out to a seven-shot lead over Redlands after the first round on Sunday, as Lee and Chiu both shot even par, with Kong close behind at +1. Kong had three straight birdies on the front nine (No. 3-5) and back-to-back birdies on the back nine (15 and 16) to finish at +1, while Lee and Chiu were both -2 on the back nine. 

After the second day on Monday, CMS was five shots up on Pomona-Pitzer after a 299. Cheng had the best round for the Athenas with an even par, earning back-to-back birdies on both the front nine (No. 3 and No. 4) and the back nine (15-16). Lee had a bit of a tough round, but closed strong with birdies on No. 16 and No. 18 and took some of that momentum into Tuesday's final. 

Kong was -2 on the final day with seven birdies, going back-to-back three times, and had three in a four-hole stretch at the end on No. 14, No. 16 and No. 17. Chiu and Yu were both -1, with Chiu birdieing No. 9 and No. 12 to go -2 on her last 10 holes. Yu was -4, meanwhile, over an eight-hole stretch that included birdies on No. 9, No. 11, No. 13 and No. 16. 

Lee finished at even par on Tuesday, but played her best down the stretch with birdies on No. 13 and No. 18 to help seal it. 

CMS earned the SCIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships with the win and will be in action from May 21-24 at Keene Trace in Nicholasville, Kentucky. A year ago, the Athenas finished third at the NCAA Championships.