Sailors sound their Horn

SANTA ANA — Near the end of the last hole, Kendall Horn let go of her golf club, looking to escape, get away from playing.

Horn left before her Newport Harbor High teammates wrapped up competing against Corona del Mar.

The Sailors didn’t fret much at Santa Ana Country Club. They were bound to sweep their Back Bay rival for the first time in a long time, plus Horn was running late.

Another form of playing awaited the senior. Try role playing at the South Coast Repertory, where Horn hoped to catch a break from her theater director.

Horn just needs to hand the director her scorecard. An acceptable excuse because it shows that she earned medalist honors with teammate, Lauren Draganza, as they both shot an eight-over-par 44 to lead the Sailors to a 233-237 win Wednesday.

“I play as fast as I can,” said Horn before adding that her acting class began at 4 p.m., making her an hour and a half tardy. “Hopefully [I can] make my director a little bit less upset with me for being late. Excuse me.”

Gone just like that before it was official with the scores of her teammates Ali Thomas (46), Morgan Moody (49) and Lindsey Hanna (50) in. It would’ve been OK to CdM Coach Mike Starkweather if Horn missed all nine holes.

The veteran isn’t used to losing to the Sailors (11-3). Someone nearby reminded Starkweather of the past, raising his eyebrows hearing the eight-year stretch where the Sea Kings owned Newport Harbor.

Two losses in one year to the Sailors, shocking after CdM lost only once all of last year. The only blemish, other than a loss to Santa Margarita last year, was CdM tying Newport Harbor.

Coach Scott Tarnow expects more than ties this year with his Sailors, who are legit Sunset League contenders at 5-2.

“The entire team played well below expectations,” said Tarnow, who has never won a girls’ league title in his eight years as coach. “We shot about 10 shots higher than I was expecting. If your [No.] 1 and [No.] 2 don’t play well, you just can’t [win].”

Draganza and Horn showed that it’s possible for a second time against CdM. The twosome scored in the 40s in the last meeting, Draganza the medalist at 41 and Kendall at 46 in a 222-250 victory at Newport Beach Country Club on Sept. 6.

It helps that the Sea Kings (5-6) are down from previous years. Three golfers lost to graduation, and then one decided to focus on school and another with pro tennis, leaving Starkweather with little to defend the Pacific Coast League title.

Two of CdM’s top three finishers, Katharine Hanson and Kelly Moorhead, came in with the first group. The two, who recorded scores of 46 and 47, respectively, see, as their coach does, the gap closing between the two schools.

“It’s so much more competitive now with girls,” said Starkweather, who saw Monica Phan lead CdM at 45 and Amanda Johnson record a 48, followed by Tess Crane (51). “In the past, you can have one, maybe two girls, and have the rest shoot in the 50s and you can be competitive. Now, that’s not the case. You have to have all your girls shooting in the 40s to be competitive.”

Below 40 is where Draganza longs to be every time out. The sophomore remembers the times she fired 38, 39 and 39 again. The Sailors will need her to find her stroke next week, when their hopes of winning league will lie heavily on the matches against reigning champ Los Alamitos and Marina.

If they get through that successfully, next stop is the CIF Southern Section Central Team Divisional playoffs. The Sailors played an 18-hole practice round at the host site, Menifee Lakes Country Club in Sun City, the day before facing CdM.

“They didn’t get back until [10 p.m.]. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, but they definitely underperformed,” said Tarnow, adding that Horn missed the practice round. “It is tough [not having Horn]. She has a lot of outside interests and we try to support that, too. But we’d like to think that her first commitment is to the team.

“Hopefully she will join us and be able to get down there at least one more time, because she’s a big part of the team.”

Horn is well aware of her role.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].