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Rose Callewaert pulled off a stunning come-from-behind win at Los Serranos GC (North), carding three birdies on her final four holes to win the 2026 CIF-SCGA SoCal High School Championship by a single stroke.
Starting her round on No. 8, Callewaert wasted little time getting into red figures, recording her first birdie of the day on No. 12 to move to one-under. Callewaert would continue her steady play throughout the back nine, adding a second birdie on No. 18 to climb to two-under.
With only seven holes remaining, Callewaert would find herself two shots back from the lead. A bogey on No. 3, her lone bogey of the day, seemingly pushed the championship out of reach, but Callewaert had different ideas. She would bounce back, firing off three birdies in a row, rocketing all the way up into a tie for the lead. A par on her final hole proved to be all she needed, moving into sole possession of first place and securing the championship by one stroke.
When asked about what she tells herself to help her bounce back from a setback, Callewaert said, “Not really, to be honest. I was just thinking, like, ok, next hole, try to get on the green in reg, and then just see if we can two-putt. And I did just exactly that and I left myself a really good six-footer for birdie, and I made it. After that, I made also a really lucky putt off the fringe, and then I think that just momentum kind of built. I think right after that bogey I had, I just kind of like, just as quickly as I could put it behind me.”
Callewaert also credited her mental game for helping her secure this win, stating, “My mental was the best part of my game because if I think about it, I had a lot of two-putts, you know. I didn’t have any three-putts, but I had a lot of two-putts, and I think it was just the mental. I was just grateful for all of that. So that was the best part of my game.”
Joining Callewaert at San Gabriel CC for the CIF State Girls HS Championship as individual qualifiers are Gabrielle Gu (-3), Katie Tseo (-3), Lydia Chang (-3), Natalie Kim (-3), Jennifer Yang (-2), Kandice Chuang (-2), Isabella Fontes (-1) and Layla Phillips (-1). Fontes and Philips secured their spots through a five-person playoff for the last two remaining spots.
In the team competition, the Santa Margarita Eagles delivered a dominant performance, posting an eight-under team score, with all five counting scores finishing their rounds under par. Also qualifying for the CIF State Girls HS Championships from the team competition are Orange Lutheran (-4) and Crean Lutheran (+9).
