Oak Park High School’s girls golf team is working hard to maintain last year’s winning streak. They had a record-breaking season during the ‘23-’24 school year, upholding their title as undefeated league champions for the fourth year in a row. This fall season, the team is starting the season with intention, big goals and the perseverance to achieve them.

“We were the best team we’ve been,” junior Madeleine Kim said. “All of our top six players that we sent to league finals qualified for CIF individuals. It was a big year for us and hopefully we can continue the momentum into this year.”

OPHS girls golf was spotted at the Westlake Golf Course last week for the official start to practices.

“We have an hour and a half so we hit for an hour and then we putt for 30 minutes, but on days that we play nine holes, we just go out on the course for two hours,” varsity captain Joanna Hong said.

Despite their impressive track record, the team still struggles in one area: lack of players.

“I’ve had a roster of 11 or 12 players. Now we have seven,” coach Donn James said. “So I have no room for error. I can’t have people getting sick because for typical golf matches you take six, count the best five and with only seven players, everybody’s gonna get a lot of playing time.”

The team is about more than winning though, and Hong’s goals reflect the strong dynamic they will build throughout the season.

“I hope the team can have a fun experience this year,” Hong said. “I’m not really worried about if we’re going to win or not because I think we don’t have to worry about that. I just want our team to be happy.”

Girls golf is the sport to watch this season, as they go into their matches with confidence and skill. The girls will participate in their first invitational match against Lady Pirate on Aug. 26 at the Alisal River golf course.