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Santa Margarita girls golf finished with the best team and player at the CIF/SCGA SoCal regional championships at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena on Thursday.
The Eagles continued their strong postseason by capturing the state-qualifying tournament by an impressive 17 strokes while junior Leigh Chien claimed the individual title by shooting a 5-under-par 68.
Chien, a Stanford commit who won the state title last season at University, carded five birdies with no bogeys to lead the Eagles to their first SoCal title. The tournament features top teams and players from the L.A., San Diego and Central sections.
Santa Margarita finished with a team score of 4-over-par 369. The Eagles’ four other top-scorers each shot in the 70s. They were sophomore Taryn Cagle (even-par 73), freshman Veronica Man (75), senior Ryan Bullock (76) and junior Angela Liu (77).
Portola finished third with a team score of 395 and qualified for the state finals for the first time. Arcadia placed second with a score 386.
Santa Margarita built momentum for Thursday by winning the SCGA qualifying tournament with a score of 372.
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The CIF State championships will be held Wednesday at San Gabriel Country Club. Neither Santa Margarita or Portola has ever won the title.