This post was updated Oct. 24 at 10:53 p.m.
The Bruins closed out their fall competition in mixed fashion.
No. 7 UCLA women’s golf competed in the Stanford Intercollegiate at Stanford Golf Course from Oct. 20 to Oct. 22. The Bruins finished in a tie for fifth place alongside the University of Virginia with a score of 6-over 858. They were 15 strokes behind the winner, No. 11 USC.
Coach Alicia Um Holmes said the Trojans’ win came from their players’ strong performances on the final day.
“Their players were hitting the ball really well,” Um Holmes said. “They were accurate with their approach shots, and they made some key putts in the final round, whereas our players didn’t execute their approaches as well.”
The field consisted of 19 teams, including Pac-12 foes No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 Oregon, USC, No. 21 Arizona, No. 25 Arizona State, and four others.
USC, Stanford and California were the only Pac-12 teams to finish ahead of UCLA.
Junior Zoe Antoinette Campos said it is fulfilling to compete against Pac-12 teams in the conference’s final year.
“It’s always really cool to just be around those teams,” Campos said. “I know a lot of girls who go to the Pac-12 schools, so that was really cool. For it being one of the last times for all of the Pac-12 schools to be there, it was a really cool experience to be together again.”
The Bruins had three players finish in a tie for 14th place with a score of even-213, but only two of those counted for the overall team score – juniors Tiffany Le and Campos’s scores. Senior Alessia Nobilio competed as an individual, so her score of even-213 did not contribute to the team score.
Um Holmes said the opportunity for Nobilio to play as an individual acted as good practice for future competitions.
“The benefit for us is the more reps our girls get in competition, the more experience they have under their belt,” Um Holmes said. “Every time we can compete, we can learn something about our games and hopefully help us improve to be the best golfers that we can be.”
UCLA ended round one in first place by five strokes, with Campos in first place by three strokes. Four out of the five players carded scores under par.
After the following round, the Bruins fell to third place by one stroke, with Campos in a three-way tie for second place by one stroke. None of the players on the team were able to shoot under par in the second round.
Le said the weather conditions during the second round made it a tougher course to play.
“On Saturday, in comparison to Friday, we played in the late afternoon,” Le said. “Overall, as a team, I think the weather kind of affected how we played in the late tee time. It was a little windier in the afternoon, so the course played a little different.”
Out of the six UCLA players, only two carded their best scores in the final round. Nobilio and senior Kate Villegas both shot under par, with scores of 2-under 69 and 1-under 70, respectively.
Um Holmes said Villegas game has been steady.
“She’s played really well the last few tournaments,” Um Holmes said. “She had 17 pars and one birdie. I think she could’ve gone lower had she putted just a little bit better.”
This tournament was the final tournament of the Bruins’ fall season. They will return to action Jan. 22 to compete in The Match in the Desert.
Le said even without tournaments, the team will be busy.
“We have a lot of practices and workouts ahead of us,” Le said. “We also play a lot, which will keep us in that competitive mindset.”
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