By Dylan Hernandez
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Still yet to face competition from anyone outside of their own
team, the Bruin men’s golfers begin play today at the Carpet
Capital Classic in Rocky Face, Ga. ““ certainly not the
easiest way to start a season.
The tournament, which runs through Sunday and will be played at
the Farm Golf Club’s 6,906-yard course, has a 15-team field
that includes defending NCAA champion Florida and Clemson, last
week’s Ping/Golfweek Preview Invitational champion.
Other favorites are East Tennessee, Georgia, UNLV, North
Carolina State, Augusta State, South Carolina, North Carolina and
Wake Forest. Host Georgia Tech has won the Carpet Classic the past
two years, but returns this time without three-time tournament
champion and 2000 U.S. Amateur winner Bryce Mulder.
Expected to top the individual leaderboard are Bubba Dickerson
(2001 U.S. Amateur champ) and Camilo Villegas of Florida, Brent
Wanner (2001 Ping / Golfweek champ) and Bill Haas of Wake Forrest,
Matt Wiebring and Kris Mikkelsen of Georgia Tech, DJ Trahan of
Clemson and Ryan Hybl of Georgia.
UCLA enters a team of John Merrick, Parker McLauchlin, Steve
Conway, Roy Moon and Sang-Eun Ji ““ a group that Bruin head
coach Brad Sherfy said has been playing well in practice.
Sherfy has been particularly impressed with the recent form of
Merrick, the team’s projected No. 1 player. Still, Sherfy
refused to make any predictions or set any goals, saying the Bruins
would take “one shot at a time” and not look ahead.
“There are no expectations,” Sherfy said. “But
if we play like we’ve been playing, we can win it.”
Merrick added: “We’ve got confidence. As a golfer,
you always have to think you can do something.”