Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

Janelle Song, 17, having a little fun while having her portrait taken at River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard, had a scoring average of 36.2 in her final high school season.

During this year's CIF-Southern Section Girls' Golf Northern Individuals, Oxnard High's Janelle Song was so cold that she thought about warm foods like soup in order to keep herself warm.

But unlike that cold day in Solvang, for most of the 2007 golf season, Song was red-hot. The senior culminated a terrific high school career with a spectacular senior season, where she was clearly the most consistent and dominant golfer in the county.

Song posted a scoring average of 36.2, the lowest of any player in the county. She was medalist in all but one of her matches and fired a season-low 3-under-par 33 at Victoria Lakes.

Once she reached the postseason, Song was equally impressive. She was one of only two players from the area to reach the Women's Southern California Golf Association Championship Tournament.

More important to Song, she was anchor for her teammates to hold on to during every league match. Song's consistently low scores helped the Yellowjackets defend their Pacific View League title.

For her accomplishments, Song has been named The Star's Girls' Golfer of the Year.

"I'm very satisfied with the season and how it turned out," Song said. "There were times when I could have played better, but that's just how golf is. But I'm really proud of how well our team played and that we were able to win the league. That feels really good.

"Coming into the season my goals were to help our team win the league title and to go farther in the CIF than I had before. I accomplished both of those things. It was a good year."

David Sveiven, in his first season as the Oxnard girls' golf coach, said he has nothing but positive praise for the way Song handled herself both on and off the course.

"She is a tremendous talent," Sveiven said. "We have enjoyed her dedication to the Oxnard High School golf program."

In addition to being her team's No. 1 player, Song also served as the team captain, and Sveiven said it was a responsibility she did not take lightly.

"Not only does she continue to improve her own game, but she makes an effort to help the less-experienced girls improve," Sveiven said. "It was normal for Janelle to work with other girls helping them on their swing. This speaks well about her character and the respect she has for teammates."

Song's big senior campaign was the culmination of a strong four-year career at Oxnard. Song put together a long list of accomplishments.

She was an all-league performer as both a sophomore and junior, winning the Pacific View League individual title as a sophomore.

But all her previous accomplishments didn't stop Song from working even harder over the summer in preparation for her senior season. She credits some of her strong play to a busy summer of junior golf.

Song played several American Junior Golf Association tournaments, giving her a chance to test herself against the best competition in the country.

"Playing at that level against nationally ranked players gave me a lot of confidence," Song said. "It also helped me realize how much harder I needed to work, especially to try and hit the ball farther. I hit it only 240 to 250 yards and there are some girls out there who hit it 260 to 270."

Song worked on trying to pick up a little distance and focused on improving her short game. The hard work gave Song so much confidence around the greens that she considers her short game a strength.

Song said one of the things she enjoys most about golf is the competition, trying to meet the challenge of beating players with equal or even greater ability.

She'll have to find new ways to satisfy her competitive nature since she doesn't plan to play golf in college. Song, who hopes to major in economics/business administration in college, said there isn't enough time to focus on both school and golf.

After her strong senior season, Song hasn't had a change of heart.

"No, I'm still not planning on playing," Song said. "I will play for fun with my family and friends. I really enjoyed playing at Oxnard, so it's a good time to stop."