Following a stretch of inconsistent finishes, junior Pedro Figueiredo knew it was time for a change ““ upon closer examination of his game, Figueiredo saw that his performance on the green needed improvement. Finally, after a disappointing finish at the Western Intercollegiate in mid-April, he made the necessary tweak by substituting a new putter for the less reliable one he had been using.
“I putted very poorly at Pasatiempo, but I hit the ball very well there,” said Figueiredo of his play, which resulted in a tie for 17th place. “I thought with the way I hit the ball, I should’ve finished a lot higher, so that got me thinking about changing putters, and it’s worked out since then.”
Figueiredo has experienced improved results at the last two tournaments. At the Pac-12 Championship, he finished seventh, and at the NCAA Central Regional, he finished second.
Figueiredo credits his recent success to the change in putters.
“I’ve been putting very well since I’ve changed putters ““ that was a drastic improvement,” Figueiredo said. “I was hitting the ball previously, but since that change I’ve been missing a lot less short putts and making more long putts.”
Comforts of home
Over the next week, the No. 3 UCLA men’s golf team will prepare for the NCAA Championship.
Unlike last week, when the Bruins were bogged down by a busy travel schedule in their trip to Kentucky, next week, they will just have to drive 5.5 miles down the road.
This year, the NCAA Championship will be hosted at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, which provides the team with the benefits of being close to home.
“Kentucky was a little tricky for us,” junior Pontus Widegren said. “We’re definitely looking forward to having the next tournament in our own backyard. … All of us have played enough (at Riviera) to have played well there, and it’s important to know you’ve been posting scores at a course like that, because it is tough.”
UCLA will look to take advantage of its familiarity with Riviera when it begins play there Tuesday.
Adding to the collection
On Monday night, sophomore Patrick Cantlay added yet another award to his constantly growing resume.
At a black-tie banquet at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Cantlay was given the Ben Hogan Award, which is awarded annually to the best college golfer in the nation.
“It means a lot because of the history of Mr. Hogan and all of the great things that he’s done, and obviously, all of the great names that have won the award over the years,” said Cantlay of the award, whose recipients have included the PGA Tour’s Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan.
Cantlay adds the Ben Hogan Award to a long list of accomplishments this season, including winning the Fred Haskins Award ““ another award for best collegiate golfer ““ and the low amateur title at the Masters in April.
Although he has experienced much individual success, Cantlay’s top priority is still winning the national championship.
“It kind of caps the year I’ve had up to this point, but it wouldn’t (mean) nearly as much as winning the NCAAs next week. That’s really the goal of the season,” Cantlay said.
“Awards are nice, but they’re not what we try to do ““ we try to win.”