By Pauline Vu
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The captain of the UCLA men’s golf team has great expectations
for this weekends ASU Thunderbird/Savane Invitational.
"I think we have a good chance of winning this one," junior
Parker McLachlin said. "I just have that feeling."
Winning won’t be easy for the 43rd-ranked Bruins, who will have
to beat six highly-ranked teams in the 21-team field, among them
No. 8 Texas, No.
9 USC and No. 11 Arizona State, the host and ten-time tournament
champion.
But that doesn’t matter to McLachlin.
"We got a good five going to Arizona and I think now’s the time
to start putting it all together," he said.
The way sophomore Travis Johnson sees it, the Bruins are going
into the Savane in a good way. They’ve had good practices lately,
they’re going to
a course all five players have shot well on, and they have their
good luck charm – Assistant Coach Ryan Goble – with them.
"When we send both our coaches to the trips, but our assistant
coach especially, we do very well," Johnson said. "He doesn’t know
any more
about golf than our head coach does, but he could be our lucky
charm."
The only other trip Goble accompanied the team on this year was
the Carpet Capital Tournament in Georgia. There the Bruins came in
sixth in one of
the nations most elite fields. They consider that tournament
their only successful one this season.
When Johnson mentioned this coincidence to Goble, Goble noted
that two years ago, the team won five tournaments and he was
present at three of
them.
"It’s a superstition, but it could play a mental role for this
week," Johnson said. "He brings a more calm, relaxed presence to
the team. He
just gets our mind away from the stress and the worries of
golf."
The Bruins can use that luck. The team is ranked 10th right now
in the District and only the top 12 go on to the NCAA Western
Regionals. Johnson
says the team needs to come in the top five to solidify that
spot.
And the Bruins definitely have to beat Oregon State, who is 11th
in the District.
"To secure our position we cannot lose to Oregon State,"
McLachlin said. "Beating the other teams would just be a
bonus."
Including Johnson and McLachlin, true freshmen Steve Conway,
John Merrick and Roy Moon will also be going to Arizona.
For the men’s golfers, who haven’t been satisfied with their
play all year long, now is the time to break out.
"We’ve definitely underachieved this entire year," McLachlin
said. "We’re still a young team but were getting to the point where
being young doesnt
count anymore."
The expectations are high, but don’t forget, the Bruins have
that good luck charm in Goble.
"If we play a good tournament maybe well take him on all the
rest of the trips," McLachlin said with a laugh.