Regional Challenge 1. Arizona 884 2. N.M. State
895 3. USC 900 15. UCLA 940
By Michelle Coppolella
Daily Bruin Contributor
Facing tough weather conditions and poor individual performances
all around, the UCLA women’s golf team shot a 305 in the
third and final round of the Regional Challenge at Palos Verdes
Country Club Wednesday to finish the tournament in 15th place with
a final score of 940.
Freshman Melissa Martin provided the top individual performance
for the Bruins, shooting a 231 to capture a 37th place. Not far
behind, senior Leilani Bagby shot 235 to place 57th.
Senior Laura Moffat shot 241 to place 69th, sophomore Saki Uechi
shot 244 to place 75th, and freshman Gina Umeck shot 245 to place
78th to round out the Bruins’ performance.
 COURTNEY STEWART Freshman Melissa Martin
competes in the TRW Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Tuesday.
Martin was the Bruins’ top individual performer at the
tournament, finishing in 37th place with a 231. The team will head
to Arizona for its next challenge, the Wildcat Invitational, on
Feb. 19. UCLA hopes to improve their overall performance by
focusing on staying mentally focused.
Defending national champion Arizona took first place in the
18-team field, dominating behind the strong performances of No.
6-ranked Natalie Gulbis, who placed first, and No. 1 Lorena Ochoa,
who placed second. No. 11 New Mexico State placed a surprising
second over other top teams such as No. 3 USC. No. 6 Stanford
captured third.
Six of the 18 teams competing, including No. 2 Arizona and No. 3
USC, did not finish their first round Monday due to darkness after
a two-and-a-half hour rain delay. These circumstances placed the
Bruins in 11th after shooting a poor 319 .
Second round action failed to provide UCLA with the boost it
needed to advance in the ranks. The Bruins shot a 316 and fell back
17th place with a 36-hole score of 635.
The Bruins entered the third round with hopes of finishing
strong and had their lowest team score of the tournament with a
305. This resurgence could have been spurred by the team’s
recent focus on confidence even during tough tournaments.
“We’ve been having a lot of team discussions about
believing in ourselves and believing that we can win,” head
coach Carrie Leary said shortly before the Regional Challenge.
“I believe we are an emotionally, physically and mentally
prepared team.”
The Bruins hope to redeem their No. 16 ranking in the upcoming
Arizona Wildcat Invitational Feb. 19-21 in Tucson, Ariz. Hosted by
No. 2 Arizona, the tournament promises to be challenging, but the
Bruins have high hopes for improvement.