Friday, April 17, 1998
Blue ‘n’ gold still on top
of the green
MEN’S GOLF: Youthful squad turns lackluster start into
top-ranked tournaments
By Moin Salahuddin
Daily Bruin Contributor
Two straight tournament wins, four tournament wins overall, and
eight top-10 finishes in nine total tournaments. Continuing the
great tradition of past teams, the UCLA men’s golf team has
produced one of the most successful seasons ever for a Bruin
squad.
Despite having a young squad, the Bruins have overcome a
lackluster start by winning four of their past six tournaments. Led
by juniors B.J. Schlagenhauf and Brandon DiTullio, and sophomore
Jason Semelsberger, the Bruins have become one of the hottest teams
in the nation.
UCLA won its second-straight tournament last weekend at the
Stanford Intercollegiates. Led by sixth-place finisher Semelsberger
and 10th-place finisher DiTullio, the Bruins shot a team score of
877. Semelsberger fired a one-under par 70 while DiTullio shot par
71 in the final round.
"I’m really happy with the way our team has played," commented
head coach Brad Sherfy. "Semelsberger, Schlagenhauf and DiTullio
have been playing really well all season long. I think if they are
playing well, with sophomore Ross Fulgentis and freshman Jeff
McGraw stepping up, we will hopefully continue to win."
Two weeks ago, the Bruins captured the team title at the
Anteater Invitational at UC Irvine. Semelsberger won medalist
honors by winning a one-hole playoff with McGraw (fourth) and
Fulgentis (seventh) also finishing strong in the top 10.
Overall, the Bruins have finished in the top 10 in eight of
their nine tournaments this season: winning the Fresno Lexus
Classic at Fresno State in October and the Long Beach State 49er
Collegiate Classic in November. The Bruins’ four tournament
victories are the most for a UCLA team since the 1986-1987
season.
"Golf is a game where some days are good and others are bad,"
commented Sherfy.
"We’ve been good lately and I think we can give some of the top
teams in the nation a good run. But I feel that we have not
completely reached our potential. Our lineup consists of mainly
underclassmen and I think we can still improve and hopefully finish
strong."
* * *
This weekend, the Bruins will be traveling to the prestigious
Arizona State Thunderbird/Savane Invitational. Facing five teams
ranked in the top 20 in the nation, including the top-ranked UNLV
Running Rebels, the Bruins hope to improve on last years’
seventh-place finish.
Along with UNLV, fellow Pac-10 foes Arizona, host Arizona State,
and the Big 12’s top team Oklahoma State should also provide some
challenges for the youthful Bruins. However, the Bruins hope to
counter with their recent streak of tournament victories and their
overall balance.
"The ASU Invitational is a good tournament to judge where (our
team) is at," Sherfy said. "With some of the top teams in the
nation there, I feel we can win this tournament if our team
continues to play well."