WESTLAKE VILLAGE “”mdash; Mud, balls, water and grass. No,
it’s not Saturday night at the Playboy Mansion. The UCLA
men’s golf team battled the elements at soggy North Ranch
Country Club in Westlake Village and walked away champions of the
Cleveland Golf Classic.
The Bruins, winners of their last two tournaments, posted a
three-round score of 845, seven-under par, finishing seven strokes
ahead of second place California and a whopping 17 strokes better
than third-place Oklahoma.
“North Ranch Country Club is not a muscle man’s golf
course,” head coach O.D. Vincent said. “It’s
a finesse course, and I like how this course suited our
players.”
Before the final round, juniors Roy Moon and Steve Conway were
first and second respectively, both searching for their first
individual title.
“I’d like to see one of our guys win
individually,” said Vincent prior to the final
round.Â
He got his wish.Â
Junior Steve Conway played three solid rounds of golf and
finished atop the leader board at six-under par. After a
first-round 73, Conway fired a five-under 66 in the second round
and a three-under 68 in the final round for his first individual
collegiate victory. Â
Conway eagled the par-4 16th hole during the second round and
added five birdies in the final round to capture top individual
honors.
Moon led the tournament after the first two rounds, but
struggled in the final round with a two-over 73, dropping him into
a tie for third place at two-under par. Despite not playing to his
full capacity, Moon provided one of the better shots of the
tournament in his final round.
On the ninth hole and facing a daunting downhill chip to the
pin, Moon pulled a lofted club and holed the difficult chip for
birdie, sending the entourage into a frenzy ““ polite applause
in the world of golf.
Junior John Merrick also finished tied for third overall,
joining Moon at two-under.Â
Junior Travis Johnson and freshman Spencer Levin rounded out the
Bruins’ squad, placing 54th and 68th,
respectively. Levin’s final round of one-under 70 was
highlighted with an eagle on the par-5 15th.
The road to victory was not easy, contrary to the lopsidedness
of the final score. The Bruins struggled out of the gate and
managed to tie for sixth after the first round.
In the second round, Conway and Moon lifted the team back into
contention which held a seven-shot lead going into the final
round.
“Anyone in the field would have wanted to trade places
with us,” Vincent said. “The pressure is on them
to catch us.”
The lead proved insurmountable, and the Bruins are close to
clicking on all cylinders as the Pac-10 and NCAA championships loom
in the near future. Despite the stellar play, Vincent would
still like to see his team improve.
“I’d like to see this team play more in wind and
rain,” Vincent said. “The NCAA Championship is in
Oklahoma this year “¦ and it’s going to be
windy.”