Ten days after concluding their season opener, the Bruins will bring the same lineup to Georgia this weekend.
UCLA men’s golf will compete in the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational at the club’s Lakeside course from Friday through Sunday. The Bruins will take on the par-72, 7,017-yard course after finishing third in the Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills to kick off their season.
“We didn’t do as good as we wanted to do, but it was honestly better than we started the last few years,” said junior Devon Bling. “Some of us came off a little while of not playing tournament golf, and we just were a little rusty and put ourselves in a few spots that didn’t allow us to score. In practice before this tournament, we kind of just shook all the rust off.”
This weekend will be UCLA’s 13th consecutive appearance at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational, with its most recent win coming in 2011. Bling was the Bruins’ second-best finisher last year, tying for 29th at 1-over.
Bling shot a 2-under 70 in his final round, including four birdies on holes six, seven, 11 and 12. The top UCLA scorer last season was then-senior Cole Madey, who tied for 21st. With Madey graduated, Bling said he has been using his experience at the tournament to give advice to the younger players.
“I was just kind of telling the guys to be patient and let it happen (at this course) –there’s no reason to force a birdie because you will make them,” Bling said. “This tournament is one of our best tournaments of the year – it just requires patience on the golf course.”
In addition to Bling, the Bruin lineup will include senior Hidetoshi Yoshihara, junior Eddy Lai, and sophomores Sean Maruyama and Bryan Wiyang Teoh.
Lai led the scoring for UCLA in its season opener at the Marquette Intercollegiate with a 4-under 212 to place fifth overall. Yoshihara and Teoh also finished under par, leaving Bling’s 2-over 218 and Maruyama’s 11-over 227 to round out the lineup.
Bling said regardless of the team’s first result, he is confident going into this weekend.
“I think we can contend in this tournament,” Bling said. “Myself, putting well, I can contend in this tournament individually.”
The Bruins will tee off Friday morning in Alpharetta, Georgia.
