On a day when the temperature soared to 110 degrees, SBCC kept its cool and shot 327 on Friday morning to grab the first-round lead in the Desert Classic women's golf tournament at Tahquitz Creek Resort in Palm Springs.
The Vaqueros lead second-place Saddleback by two shots and they're five in front of College of the Desert. Cuyamaca is fourth in the 11-team field at 337 and Modesto is fifth at 338.
Brittney Do of Saddleback was the medalist at 1-under 73 on the par-74 Legend Course.
SBCC sophomore Vanessa Watkins and freshman Elly Carlson are tied for 10th at 81. Lauren Calvin shot 82 and Stephanie Farouze posted 83.
"We had a lot of players going well through nine holes but we didn't finish strong," said coach Chuck Melendez. "Maybe the hot weather had something to do with it. We had a lot of birdies and we also had some big numbers.
"The good news is we're in first place and gaining experience every round."
The Vaqueros will shoot for their third straight Desert Classic title on Saturday when the final round starts at 7:30 a.m. on the par-72 Resort Course.
Desert Classic
At Tahquitz Creek, Palm Springs
1st round at par-74 Legend Course
Team -- 1, SBCC 327. 2, Saddleback 329. 3, Desert 332. 4, Cuyamaca 337. 5, Modesto 338. 6, Irvine Valley 344. 7, Bakersfield 365. 8, Citrus 368. 9, Mt. San Jacinto 376. 10, Palomar 381. 11, Mt. San Antonio 391.
Individual -- 1, Brittney Do, Saddleback, 73. 2 (tie), Kylie Sok, IVC, 75; Hannah Lovering, Reedley, 75. 4 (tie), Sydney Crawley, Bakersfield, 77; Brooke Vierra, Modesto, 77.
SBCC scores -- 10 (tie), Vanessa Watkins 81, Elly Carlson 81. Lauren Calvin 82, Stephanie Farouze 83, Jessica Safford 87, Elle Gaston 98. Competing as individuals: Kayla Karst 93, Juliet Parsons 109.