With 18 rounds of golf that would make Tiger Woods proud, the
women’s golf team stormed into first place in the Pac-10
Tournament and slammed the door behind them. Heading into the
second day of competition in Oro Valley, Ariz., the squad trailed
Arizona State by four strokes but proceeded to shoot 11 strokes
better than any team and staked their claim to the title on
Tuesday. The Bruins were the only squad to shoot under par, at
minus-1, and hold a commanding eight-stroke lead over the Sun
Devils going into the final 18 holes today. Putting added emphasis
on the Bruins’ achievement, the teams that comprise the rest
of the field are not taken lightly by any means. “This has
been the most competitive the conference has been in a long
time,” UCLA coach Carrie Forsyth said. “There are four
very strong teams.” Those teams, besides No. 2-ranked UCLA,
are No. 3 Arizona State, No. 5 USC and No. 16 California. But
despite their lofty rankings, they do not intimidate the Bruin
squad. “We feel like we are the best team in our
conference,” Forsyth said. “We came here to win.”
The team not only took serious strides toward that goal yesterday,
but did it with emphasis. Paired with tournament-leader Arizona
State, the Bruins outshot them by 12 strokes, led by sophomore Amie
Cochran, who shot a 68 (-4), leading all golfers. The tournament
will wrap up on Wednesday with an award ceremony and the
announcement of the All-Pac-10 team. MEN’S
GOLF: The UCLA men’s golf team is leading the field
by six strokes as they head into the fourth and final 18-hole round
today in Palm Desert. The Bruins, who are ranked above all other
Pac-10 completion at No. 5 in the nation, are 6-under par, with
sophomore Daniel Im (-8) on course to pick up the individual
championship title. Freshman Erik Flores and junior Chris Heintz
are tied for 10th place. Flores is the top-ranked golfer in the
Pac-10 division, ranked ninth in the nation. A veteran Washington
squad, which won last year’s Pac-10s, is in second place,
trailing the Bruins by six strokes. Arizona and Arizona State,
which are tied for third place, are 17 strokes behind the Bruins,
making tomorrow’s final round a likely dual between the
Huskies and the Bruins. UCLA shot a 7-under par during the second
round on Tuesday.
GYMNASTICS: Senior gymnast Kate Richardson, who
recently won the NCAA floor title, was nominated as one of four
finalists for the Honda Award for gymnastics on Monday. The other
three candidates are freshman Courtney Kupets from Georgia, senior
Ashley Miles from Alabama and sophomore Ashley Postell from Utah.
Richardson’s title last weekend was her third career NCAA
individual title, placing her among the greatest gymnasts in UCLA
history. “Kate has been such a tremendous ambassador for the
sport of gymnastics,” UCLA coach Valorie Kondos Field said.
“She has always embraced all teams, coaches and fans as a
part of her athletic family that she adores.”
Compiled by Jason Feder and Gavin Chanin, Bruin Sports
contributors.