Ceres High girls golf standout Alysabeth Marquez competed at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament for the first time this past week.

She shot a 26-over-par 98 at the Reserve at Spanos Park on Nov. 1 in Stockton.

“I’ve never played there before and it was an awesome experience,” said Marquez, a junior. “I definitely could have done better.”

Marquez was paired with Colfax’s Melia Gustavson and Del Oro’s Cami Tennison.

Gustavson and Tennison posted scores of 78 and 84, respectively.

“The competition was very good,” she said. “It was pretty intimidating. I’m hoping next year I can get past Masters. That’s one of my goals.”

Marquez earned her first-ever berth to the Masters Tournament this fall.

She qualified after posting the fifth-best individual score at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV Championships Oct. 25 in Stockton.

Marquez carded a 28-over-par 100 at Swenson Park Golf Course.

“I’m happy for her,” Bulldogs’ coach Ron Edwards said. “She deserves it.”

“I’m not surprised at all,” he added. “I thought she could do this since she was a freshman. But she didn’t have a chance to move forward.”

Marquez was named co-Most Valuable Player of the Western Athletic Conference South Division as a sophomore. She compiled a 5-1 record. The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section canceled playoffs due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Marquez wanted to play girls golf at Ceres High her freshman year. But the school didn’t field a team due to a late coaching departure and a lack of interest. She ended up playing in several matches for the boys team before the season was cut short because of COVID-19.

Marquez helped lead Ceres High’s girls golf squad to a fourth-place finish at the 2021 Western Athletic Conference Championships on Oct. 19 at Manteca Park. She shot a team-best 27-over-par 99 as the Bulldogs just missed qualifying for the Division-IV Tournament.

Ceres High compiled an 8-2 record while tying for first place in the WAC South standings with Pacheco during Marquez’s sophomore year.

“She’s improved a lot,” Edwards said. “She’s pretty tough mentally. If she hits a bad shot, she forgets about it. She devises a different game plan for her next shot.”