For a cowboy, it takes 10 paces to turn around and shoot.
But for a golfer in the Wild West, it could take only one.
No. 23 UCLA men’s golf will tee-off in the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational on Monday in Fort Worth, Texas, marking the program’s first ever appearance in the tournament. Following a 33-over 897 performance that resulted in an eighth place finish last week at the Sahalee Players Championship, the Bruins will look toward a two-day invite hosting seven of the top 10 ranked programs in the nation, including consensus No. 1 Auburn.
Coach Armen Kirakossian commented on the Bruins’ upcoming gauntlet following their unexpectedly low finish in Washington.
“Just getting back in the rhythm of how we prepare for tournaments and getting our minds right for the competition upcoming,” Kirakossian said. “I think sometimes it’s easy to, especially in golf, fall back into some old habits of an individual sport. But once you get back with the team, you got to do it in a team way.”
Hosted by TCU at the Colonial Country Club, the storied par-70 course features rough three-inch tall Bermuda grass, greens spanning an average of 5,000 square feet with a 12-foot stimp, and water constraints on six holes, giving it a difficulty rating that exceeds standard PGA tour courses.
Senior Alex Papayoanou emerged from the showdown at Sahalee hitting just five-over across three rounds, establishing himself as the Bruins’ ace to start the season. Papayoanou hit an average of 72.9 over 34 rounds in his junior campaign, and is now poised for a breakout senior season.
“I’m just happy to go play in Texas,” Papayoanou said ahead of the squad’s upcoming invite. “That’s where I’m from, so it’s also a great field, and I think if we just bring great team energy and have some good performances, we’ll have no problem and stick turkeys definitely.”
Papayoanou is joined by freshman Matthew Hull, who also notched an even round at Sahalee and shot eight-over across three rounds.
“I think there is a little bit of a challenge for those guys,” said Kirakossian. “Walking into a team culture that was kind of flourishing and trying to acclimate into that, but still adding their own flavor and spin on things.”
UCLA will open its 36-hole day at 6:15 a.m. Monday, followed by an 18-hole shootout starting at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday.
“Each guy has their own unique voice and their own area on the team,” said Kirakossian. Whether it’s the players, the new guys, the guys that have been here for a few years and the coaches, each person’s bringing a different, unique angle and voice.”
Comments are closed.