By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com

Hunter Ranch Golf Course, in Paso Robles, provided a stiff test for the field in the first round of the 2023 California Community College Athletic Association 3C2A Women's Golf State Championships on Monday.

To start with, there were difficult pin placements and fast greens.

On top of that, there were windy conditions.

The average score was 89.7.

"It got breezy about an hour into the first tee time," said Bob Freschi, Napa Valley College's head coach. "With everybody on the course, it was blowing pretty good. It just firmed everything up. It was that gusty wind. Those greens were so hard. It's a hilly course with really slopy greens. It just firmed up the greens even more with the wind. They were rolling really fast.

"It's a very challenging, hilly course. You don't have a level lie anywhere on the course. So, you've got to play some golf."

NVC has three players in the field: Jill Obelleiro, Ping Yang and Ela Ashley, all freshmen. They each advanced as individual qualifiers at last week's CCCAA Northern California Regional Championships, Nov. 6-7, at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland. The three Napa Valley players are among the seven individual qualifiers from the NorCal tournament. Obelleiro opened with a 95 and is tied for 45th place.

Yang is tied for 48th place after shooting a 97.

Ashley, who birdied the 18th hole, is tied for 53rd place after opening with a 101.

"We just have to be better than we were (Monday) around the greens," said Freschi. "We need to do a better job around the green. We've got to be able to set yourself up when you're on the green and walk away with a two-putt. It's good speed control putt on your first putt and then hopefully knock down that second putt.

"There are some tough pin placements, but you've got to do your best, setting yourself up on the green. We didn't do that today, so we made it difficult. And when you make golf difficult, that's not a good formula to play solid golf."

There are eight teams – four from Northern California, four from Southern California – and individual qualifiers at the CCCAA state tournament. Hunter Ranch is a par-72, 5,424-yard course.

"It was tense out there and nerves, and a little tension got us early. But that's part of the experience and that's a good feeling to have. We try to embrace it, and when you get your heart rate up there on the first tee, it's difficult," said Freschi.

"So, hopefully (Tuesday) we calm everything down and just be better than we were (Monday). Do something really good."

Today's second and final round of the two-day, 36-hole state tournament starts at 9:20 a.m., with tee times from No. 1. Play will be from the Red tee markers.

Modesto Junior College and Reedley College are tied for first place, each at 337.

In third place is Sierra College-Rocklin at 339.

In fourth place is College of the Canyons-Santa Clarita at 340.

Moorpark College is in fifth place at 346.

Mt. San Antonio College-Walnut is in sixth place at 348.

Also in the team field is Fullerton College, at 354, and Sacramento City College, at 369.

Ashley holed out for birdie from 30 feet from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole.

"It was a beautiful shot," said Freschi.

Leading the state tournament, individually, is Isabelle Olivas-Lowell of Citrus College-Glendora with a 3-under-par 69. Olivas-Lowell had seven birdies during her round, according to a report from the California Community College Athletic Association, at www.cccaasports.org.

In second is Motoko Shimoji of Canyons with a 1-over-par 73.

Tied for third, at 77, are five players: Kylie Lau of Mt. San Antonio; Jordan Williams of Modesto; Cathilyn Lee of Fullerton; Ethel Asequia of Reedley; Lehapi Taungahihifo, College of the Desert-Palm Desert.

NVC's team season ended with the Storm's fifth-place finish at NorCals.

The Storm played in 10 Big 8 Conference tournaments during the season.

Obelleiro was named to the All-Big 8 Conference team.

* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.