Valencia’s Eliana Saga finishes tied for 11th at CIF State girls golf championship

Two area golfers competed in the CIF Girls Golf State Championship on Wednesday, and each had quality showings in California’s pinnacle high school golf competition.

Valencia junior Eliana Saga finished in a tie for 11th place out of 54 competitors at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach with an even-par 71, while Buckley junior Kandice Chuang recorded a 4-over 75, finishing in a tie for 26th place.

Saga and Chuang advanced to the state championship after both finished within the top nine golfers at the CIF SoCal Regional Championship in Chino Hills last week.

Saga, who became the first golfer regardless of gender in Valencia High School history to reach the state championship, turned her day around after sitting at 3-over through her first seven holes.

She recorded the first birdie of her round on the par-5 9th hole before carding two more birdies as part of a bogey-free back nine to end her outing just one stroke outside of the Top 10.

It was a consistent day for the USC-committed junior, who clinched a championship berth with a 5-under 69 last week.

From a season long perspective, Saga proved to be a standout as she was named the Foothill League’s Most Valuable Player for the second straight year on her way to becoming one of the top juniors in the state.

Chuang’s day at the championships started strong as she made the turn with her scorecard at 1-over, five strokes off the lead at the time and three strokes out of second place.

A difficult back nine ended her chances at a state championship though after she recorded three bogeys over a six-hole stretch, the last of which came on the par-3 17th.

Nonetheless, an appearance in the state championship put a cap on another impressive season for Chuang, who fired a 4-under 70 in the CIF SoCal Regional to earn a tee time in the state championship.

This appearance is her second state championship berth after qualifying as a sophomore last year, and she is the only girls golfer in Buckley program history to qualify for a title spot.

The rising junior recorded two wins and 11 Top-10 appearances this season.

Overall, it was a noteworthy day for both Saga and Chuang, and both look like they will again play a big part for their programs next year as they move forward after proving themselves to be two of the best golfers in the state.