The Bruins went to Las Vegas to compete in search of their second consecutive and fifth overall win of the season.
No. 3 UCLA women’s golf tied for first in The Show at Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas. The field of competitors included No. 23 SMU and No. 22 Virginia, among 10 others.
Coach Alicia Um Holmes was absent because of sickness for part of the tournament, so assistant coach Erynne Yoo stepped up to lead this past weekend. Holmes’ absence coupled with canceled and delayed flights meant a hectic start to the weekend for the Bruins.
“You kind of just have to prepare for anything, mentally and physically,” said junior Zoe Antoinette Campos. “Anything can happen out there … with our flights being delayed and the conditions being kind of hectic.”
In their last tournament, the Bruins brought home the win at the Nanea Pac-12 Preview, where they competed against eight of the 11 Pac-12 teams. Their performance in this tournament was a test run for the Pac-12 Championships later in the season.
A standout performance from Campos led her to be named the Pac-12 Women’s Golfer of the Week and to be added to the ANNIKA Award Spring Watch List ahead of The Show after taking her first win of the season in Hawai’i.
Two weeks later, Campos continued to perform against a plethora of nonconference teams in Las Vegas, with two birdies and an eagle during her first round on Monday. She followed that up by shooting 2-under 70 in Monday’s final round to end the first day of The Show tied for first.
“The biggest contribution to her success lately has been just consistency,” Yoo said. “Her (Campos) finding that consistency and comfort … has not only been huge for her individual build, but also for the team’s.”
Campos stood alongside the entire Bruin lineup among the top 30 golfers of the field, including redshirt junior Alessia Nobilio tied for 10th. UCLA ended the tournament ranked first in Par 3s and Par 5s and second in Par 4s.
The Bruins led the tournament with a one-shot lead going into Tuesday and maintained their lead through the third and final round.
Campos shot a 1-under 71 in the third round – her highest score of the weekend – placing her in first for the second consecutive tournament. Her earlier performance still allowed her to keep her ranking as she shot 7-under Par for the weekend with 209 total shots.
Nobilio rose in the rankings throughout Tuesday, ending the tournament in ninth place. She shot a 1-under 70 in the third round and 1-under Par for the weekend with a total of 215 shots.
“I’ve been working with my coaches back home, Alicia and Erynne, looking at the stats and seeing where I can improve my game, which is something I haven’t done before.” Nobilio said. “I’m proud of the hard work that I’ve done since I came back in January. I think it’s paying off.”
Senior Kate Villegas scored in the top 15, shooting 2-over Par, and junior Caroline Canales climbed 13 rankings during the third round of play after shooting a 2-under 70 to put her at 17th place for the week. The rest of UCLA’s tournament roster placed in the top half of the total 77 golfers by the end of the tournament.
With an overall 6-under 858 score, the Bruins brought the gold home from Las Vegas, tying for first with SMU, to add to their five total season wins.
UCLA will head to Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae, California on Monday to compete in the Silicon Valley Showcase.
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