Caroline Canales, known for her poise and consis- tency, is of cially the best high school women’s golfer in the state of California. Not only did Canales domi- nate the Marmonte League championship, but she also captured the CIF state individual girls golf champion- ship this November. In recognition of her talent, Cana- les was named Daily News Girl Golfer of the year.

Golf is extremely dif cult to pick up, even for the most talented, making it quite discouraging at the start. Caroline was not an avid golfer from day one, but was instead introduced to the game by her dad when her soccer career came to an end. Gol ng runs in the Ca- nales family, as her older sister, Olivia, plays as well. The two sisters enjoy playing together as they regular- ly challenge and push each other to be the best they can be.

“I think Olivia has helped Caroline immensely with her development as a golfer and as a person,” said CHS golf coach and social studies Lance Novak.

Canales’ strong passion and drive has helped her grow as an athlete and master the sport. Through golf, Caroline can express her competitiveness and drive to succeed by challenging herself every match.

“My favorite part about the sport is that it is an in- dividual sport, so it directly re ects the time you spend on your game,” said Canales.

Canales’ most memorable moment in her golfing career was this past August when she participated in the U.S. Women’s Amateur in Mississippi. Canales shot a 68, an exemplary score, to qualify into match play. After winning three matches in this portion of the tournament, she advanced into the quarternals where she was matched up against fifteen-year-old Meghan Ganne from New Jersey. By competing against other college-level players such as Ganne, Canales was able to experience an advanced level of play, igniting her competitive nature.