Friday, June 5, 1998
After successful season, future looks bright for young
Bruins
MEN"S GOLF: Players plan to return next year, prepare to improve
on eighth-place finish in NCAA
By Moin Salahuddin
Daily Bruin Contributor
The Indiana Pacers and the UCLA men’s golf team have two things
in common: both had extremely successful seasons despite not
capturing championships and both have very bright futures.
Although the Pacers are coached by legend Larry Bird, the golf
team’s head coach Brad Sherfy is nearly as remarkable. Sherfy led
his Bruin squad through an arduous yet fulfilling regular season
and into the NCAA Championships. UCLA made a run at the title,
placing fourth after two rounds. But the intense pressure and the
superb competition caught up to the Bruins, as they stumbled to an
eighth place finish.
Despite the eighth-place finish, UCLA still had their best
finish in the championships since 1989. With a 72-hole score of
1,142 at the University of New Mexico, the Bruins used an amazing,
record-breaking second round to vault them into contention. Their
second round score of 13-under par established a new 18-hole school
record.
"The second round at the NCAA’s was definitely one of the
highlights of the season," B.J. Schlagenhauf said. "After being in
a tie for 15th after one round and having to finish in the top 15
to advance through the cut, we needed a great round and we got one.
I’m just happy with the way our team responded to the
pressure."
Led by juniors Brandon DiTullio and Schlagenhauf, sophomores
Jason Semelsberger and Steve Wagner, and freshmen phenoms Ross
Fulgentis and Jeff McGraw, expect results like the NCAA
Championships to occur more frequently in the future.
With the entire starting squad returning, UCLA looks to improve
on this season, meaning winning a national title will be the
definite goal.
"Our goal next year is to capture the national title," Sherfy
said. "This season was great for us and if we can continue to play
well next year, we should be among the top teams in the
country."
The Bruins finished the season ranked 14th in the nation. UCLA
was ranked 64th only four years ago, but they have now entered the
nation’s elite.
The No. 1 ranking and the NCAA Championship went to UNLV.
The Bruins captured five tournament titles this season,
including one of the most prestigious in the nation, the ASU
Thunderbird/Savane Invitational. Sherfy received Pac-10 Coach of
the Year honors while Schlagenhauf and DiTullio garnered first and
second team All Pac-10 honors respectively.
Among the other titles that this talented squad won were the
Fresno Lexus Classic, Long Beach State Invitational, UC Irvine
Anteater Invitational, Stanford Invitational, and the
aforementioned ASU Invitational. At the UC Irvine tournament,
Semelsberger captured medalist honors while DiTullio did the same
feat at the ASU tournament.
The trio of Schlagenhauf, Semelsberger and DiTullio, along with
the dexterous freshmen Fulgentis and McGraw, are aiming to win
UCLA’s second national title ever. With only senior reserve Eddy
Lee leaving the team, repeating the impressive performances next
season should not be too difficult.
"With our whole team coming back, I think the experience and
knowledge we’ve developed will greatly help us next year,"
Schlagenhauf said. "Just watch out for the Bruins because we should
be able to bring home another national championship to UCLA."
If the team performs as well as it did this season, the men’s
golf team and the Indiana Pacers might just dethrone UNLV and the
Chicago Bulls as the champions.