WOMEN’S GOLF Pepsi
Invitational Stanford Golf Course All Day, Friday –
Sunday
By Tan Nguyen
Daily Bruin Contributor
Losing third-team all-American Laura Moffat to graduation is an
obstacle that the UCLA women’s golf team will have to
overcome.
After all, it was Moffat’s hot play during last
year’s NCAA Championships that earned the 5th place for the
Bruins.
With Moffat graduating alongside Leilani Bagby, the Bruins look
to their young roster to fill these departed players’
gargantuan shoes. If the Bruins’ finishes in the first two
tournaments of the season are any indication, the young golf team
is more than ready for the challenge.
UCLA opened up the season with a tough 16th place finish at the
rainsoaked Fall Preview. However, displaying the resolve and
resilience usually only possessed by older teams, the young UCLA
squad was able to quickly bounce back to tie for 5th place in their
following tournament, the New Mexico State University
Invitational.
Third-year head coach Carrie Leary seems to understand her
team’s youth will need time to fully blossom.
“We’re really a good team, but it’s just going to
take some time. It’s there but we just need another player to
step up.”
One of the team’s younger players, sophomore Mellissa
Martin seems to have heeded her coach’s call. Individually,
Martin was able to finish in 8th in last week’s NMSU
Invitational. However, Martin understands that youth is a
double-edged sword. Being so young “gives the team a lot of
time to improve.” However, this lack of experience also hurts
the team.
“One of the weaknesses of being such a young team is that
we lack the confidence which can only be earned through collegiate
play,” said Martin.
With their first two tournaments of the year under their belts,
the Bruins travel this weekend to Stanford, where they will be part
of the elite 17-team field. Included in this field are No. 3 Tulsa,
No. 6 Vanderbilt, No. 7 New Mexico, No. 10 Arizona State, No. 13
Arizona and No. 15 Pepperdine.
The Stanford Golf Course, with its narrow fairways, seems to set
up well for the Bruins. Martin believes that the team possesses one
key necessary in conquering the 6,154 yard monster:
“We’re all pretty accurate of the tee,” she
said.
With a roster predominantly filled with sophomores and freshmen,
the team will undoubtedly grow with time.