Burlingame High's girls' golf team beat defending PAL Bay Division champion Mills 240-241 on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Poplar Creek Golf Course.

The one-stroke victory, first reported by The Burlingame B, came in the Panthers' first season in the Bay Division. Burlingame won the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Ocean Division title in 2025 and moved up this fall. Mills went 9-1 as Bay Division champions last year, according to Liu.

Senior Elaina Foley and sophomore Jolene Liu each shot 42, 7-over-par, to lead Burlingame. Freshman Ava Griffin added a 45, 9-over-par.

Liu said the team had not faced Mills before, since the two programs were in different divisions last season. She described the warmup as tense, saying the Mills players looked like a strong squad on the practice green. But she said what happens on the course matters more than what happens at the range.

Liu's highlight came on the sixth hole, a par 4, where her 235-yard drive from the tee box nearly reached the green in one stroke. She said fast greens cost her a few putts elsewhere in the round.

"The greens were kind of fast, so I missed some putts," Liu said. "But I made this long drive 235 yards, and it almost reached the green."

Head coach Michelle Riley said the team's ability to recover from mistakes stood out. She identified the short game as the primary area for improvement heading into the rest of the Bay Division schedule.

"It's not as fun to practice as going to the driving range, but it's definitely the majority of the game," Riley said of the short game.

Riley praised the team's mental toughness, saying golf demands the ability to bounce back after a bad hole. She noted that even professionals struggle with that and called it a harder task than playing each hole perfectly.

The Sept. 15 win over Mills, confirmed by Burlingame's athletics site, followed a 55-stroke victory against San Mateo on Sept. 10. Burlingame opened the season with a loss to Carlmont, 248-229, on Aug. 31.

Burlingame also played Mercy on Sept. 17, according to the team's schedule, though that result was not yet posted as of Sept. 21. The team's next match is Monday, Sept. 21, against Hillsdale at Burlingame Country Club.