By Dylan Hernandez
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Time to put the past to rest.
At least that’s the hope.
The one event that the UCLA golf team has played so far ““
the Carpet Capital Invitational in Rocky Face, Georgia two weeks
ago ““ turned out face-cringing results.
The Bruins, who were eighth after the first round of that
tournament and ninth after the second, collapsed on the last day of
play and finished tied for last in the 15-team field. There were
high winds during the final round but of course, the conditions
were the same for everyone.
“We played the same on all days, which was not too
good.” Steve Conway Golfer
Sophomore John Merrick and senior Parker McLachlin, both coming
off excellent summers, shot forgettable rounds.
It surely wasn’t what head coach Brad Sherfy, who called
the squad one of the best he’s had at UCLA, expected. Nor was
it what the players had planned for.
“We played the same on all days, which was not too
good,” said sophomore Steve Conway, who was the top Bruin
individual, finishing 33rd. “It got really cold on the last
day, but that’s no excuse.”
But that’s golf, the Bruins say. Life must go on, future
events must be played; one tournament at a time, one hole at a
time.
So today, the Bruins will be in Stockton, Calif. competing in
the Pacific Invitational, which should give them a good opportunity
to look better than they did the last time out.
The competition at the Pacific Invite will be nothing like what
they saw in Georgia, where the field was littered with ranked
teams. So even if the Bruins are to play the way they did at the
Carpet Capital, they’ll likely finish in the middle of the
standings, sparing them the humiliation of having to see
“UCLA” at the bottom of the scoreboard.
That, however, is a scenario the team thinks it can avoid, based
on the quality of recent practice rounds.
“We didn’t get discouraged (by the results at the
Carpet Capital),” Conway said. “We’re definitely
better than that. We’re going to go out here to make a good
second impression.”