COURTNEY STEWART Freshman Melissa Martin
putts the ball at the Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes.
By Michelle Coppolella
Daily Bruin Contributor
Despite leading the first round, the No. 19 UCLA women’s
golf team finished fifth out of 18 teams with a final score of 902
in the Pioneer Bruin Classic at Menifee Lakes Country Club on
Monday and Tuesday.
The top Bruin finisher was senior Laura Moffat, who placed 19th
with a score of 224. Freshman Johanna Andersson also tied with
Moffat for 19th place; however, Andersson played as an individual
for UCLA.
UCLA junior Alicia Um finished in a tie for 22nd at 225,
followed by freshman Saki Uechi, who tied for 33rd at 228. Senior
Leilani Bagby and freshmen Gina Umeck both tied for 40th at
229.
No. 10 Pepperdine captured its second straight Pioneer Bruin
Classic team title with a 9-over par 873, six shots over No. 21
Oklahoma, which finished in second place. USC finished third with a
score of 887 and Cal took fourth at 896.
Pepperdine sophomore Katherine Hull claimed the individual title
with a total of 213, three-under par. She won by three shots over
Nevada’s Angie Yoon, Oklahoma’s Allison Johnson and
USC’s Candie Kung, who each finished in a tie for second
place at par 216.
The Bruins led in the first round of the tournament with a
3-over par 291, just one shot ahead of Pepperdine and Oklahoma who
were both tied for second at 292.
Moffat and Uechi finished the first round tied for sixth place
at par 72, still clinging to the hope of capturing an individual
title.
The second round was postponed until Tuesday because of darkness
and brought UCLA only heartache. The Bruins finished the round in
fifth place with a score of 305 and would finish the third round in
the same position with a 306.
The different format of the tournament could have played a major
role in the Bruins’ struggle during the tournament. In a
typical golf tournament, 18 holes are played each day over a period
of three days.
However, in this tournament, 18 holes were played the first day
and 36 holes were played the second day. Head Coach Carrie Leary
said that this unique situation provided some difficulty for
UCLA.
“What happened in the second round was a combo of fatigue
and exhaustion,” she said. “We’re in relatively
good condition, but the unusually slow pace of the game and the
extra 18 holes made it a long, tiring day.”
The team will have a three-week break until the Ping/ASU
Invitational, which is UCLA’s last tournament before the
Pac-10 Championships. Despite the disappointing tournament, Leary
is confident that her team will play well when it counts most.
“I think they all understand the importance of the rest of
the season,” Leary said. “I don’t expect any of
them to slack and I expect them all to stay sharp. We’ll be
ready for the Pac-10s.”