SIMI VALLEY >> Call it tough love.
Though Newbury Park golfer Madison Wood was driving the ball particularly well, she became increasingly flustered with her putting on her first nine holes at Monday’s Simi Valley Invitational.
So Wood had a pep talk — with herself.
“On my 10th hole — I think it was No. 18 — I started asking myself, ‘What are you doing. Start putting normal,’” Wood said, laughing. “That’s when I really started to focus. I figured it out halfway through the round, and I was proud of that.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Images from the Simi Valley Invitational
The pep talk must have worked.
Wood birdied that No. 10 hole. Then came a flurry of birdies — at hole Nos. 1, 4 and 6 — to record a 2-under-par 69 at Simi Hills Golf Course to capture the Simi Valley Invitational for the second consecutive season. She won it last year with an even-par 71.
It was also the second tournament title this season for Wood, who also claimed the Santa Ynez Tournament.
“There was definitely some pressure out there today because I wanted to play well and I wanted to win again,” Wood said. “There’s a lot of good players out here. There are a lot of teams we normally don’t play against, and it was good competition. I was a lot of fun, and it was great weather too, so that was nice.”
Wood edged twin sister Skyler and Granada Hills standout Carol Cheng, who each shot even-par 71.
Skyler Wood. like her sister, had her putting struggles as well. She fired five birdies but also had five bogeys as Newbury Park secured second place with 338 strokes, trailing Dos Pueblos (327) but topping Granada Hills (348), Calabasas (352) and Harvard-Westlake (354).
“It was definitely a boost to do good today,” Skyler said. “I struggled with my putting on the first couple of holes — there were a couple of putts I easily should have made but didn’t — but I didn’t let it get into my head.
“Then I got into a really good rhythm and started making a lot of putts inside 10 feet, so I was proud of myself for that.”
Cheng, the reigning L.A. City Section champion, tied for second place for the second consecutive season at the Simi Valley Invitational.
Cheng had two birdies and two bogeys, but maybe more importantly, ended on a positive note by birding hole No. 17.
“I think my approach shots were really good,” Cheng said. “My chipping — I only had a couple of chips — but they all went inside three feet and I made pars on those. I didn’t have any big mistakes today — kind of like just pars all the way.”
Calabasas golfer Olivia Canales showed she will be a Marmonte League challenger to the Wood sisters with a strong 1-over-par 72 performance.
Her most impressive trick — birding hole No. 11 after pulling a drive into the rough, saying she hit an 8-iron to put the ball just a foot away from the hole.
“I was having trouble with my long game, so I focused on that,” Canales said. “I hit my irons and my driver very solidly. My putting was weaker than normal, but I kept making consistent pars, and I felt like I achieved my goals. I was proud of myself.”
Oak Park golfer Georgia Shevitt also turned in a consistent performance, riding a strong start to shoot a 75 for fifth place.
“I did pretty well at the beginning and just fell apart at the end, but I ended up doing OK,” Shevitt said. “I think I just got too much into myself. I got into my head too much, and I was not making the approach shots I wanted.
“I learned I have to stay in the game throughout the match, not just the first part of it.”
Saugus’ Clara Venger showed she will contend in the rugged Foothill League by shooting a 76 to tie for sixth with Dos Pueblos’ Bella Vigna, two strokes ahead of Dos Pueblos’ Gabby Minier.
“I was just really focused on getting par or better, and my chipping and putting really helped a lot and shortened a lot of my scores,” Venger said. “This definitely will prepare me for the 18 holes at the Foothill League.”
Harvard-Westlake’s Karina Guo made her season debut and wound up shooting a 79 despite after missing time due to a vacation to the Baltic Sea that included stops in Berlin, Stocklhom, Estonia, Copenhagen and St. Petersberg.
“I really like connecting history and landmarks,” Guo said. “I think I did better than expected. I’ve been out for a while. My summer was pretty crammed, and the only time we could do it was right before school, and then there was a huge wave of homework when school started, so I’ve been trying to balance it out.”
Alemany’s Adrianna Villela followed her sister Alyssa’s top-10 performance from last season with a top-10 performance of her own, taking 10th with an 80.
“I’m just trying to make it where she is,” Villela said. “I got a birdie on No. 18, and that was at the start for me, and that got me into a good mentality. I think my approach shots were good. I was just trying to stay focused.”
