Charlotte Mayorkas, meet UCLA junior Steve Conway. Two days
after Mayorkas brought back an individual title for the Bruins from
Arizona, Conway matched her feat with a first-place finish at the
57th Western Intercollegiate held at famed Pasatiempo Golf Course
near Santa Cruz, California.
Conway finished the grueling tournament at two-under par, one
shot ahead of Pacific University’s Matt Hansen. Over the
last 36 holes of the tournament, Conway went four-under par,
shooting 67 and 69, respectively.Â
“I shot a good score (late Monday) and was able to keep it
going (in the final round),” Conway said in a statement.
“The key was being able to putt well on the undulating
greens.”
The No. 10-ranked UCLA men’s golf team followed
Conway’s lead and captured its fourth title of the
year. The Bruins, the highest nationally ranked team in the
field, finished with a combined three-round total of 855, 15-over
par, seven shots in front of second place UC Irvine.
“The Western Intercollegiate is the oldest golf tournament
on the West Coast,” head coach O.D. Vincent
said. “It has a long list of prestigious teams and
individual champions, and we are proud to be a part of its
championship history.”
Though not one of their lowest performances with respect to par,
the team was provided a unique challenge by the short and strategic
Pasatiempo Course (par 70 at 6,445 yards).
The course, rated as one of the Top 100 Golf Courses by Golf
Digest, forces players to keep their drivers in the bag and instead
play more of a controlled, smart game.Â
“Pasatiempo is an unbelievable golf course,” Vincent
said. “Our players were very patient, and they fought
all day to win this tournament.”
The course was designed by Alister MacKenzie, a world-renowned
golf architect and the designer of perhaps the most prestigious
golf course in the world, Augusta National ““ home of the
Masters.Â
“The course was really challenging,” Conway
said. “I’ve played MacKenzie courses before, and
this was a very good layout.”
By defeating players ranked above him, Conway’s No. 54
individual ranking should rise along with the team’s No. 10
ranking.
Junior John Merrick finished the tournament in 13th place at
six-over par after a final round of 76. Junior Roy Moon
completed the tournament tied at 14th with an overall score of
seven-over par. In his final round he shot an even-par 70.
The team was rounded out by junior Travis Johnson, who tied for
20th at nine-over par, and freshman John Poucher, who tied for 44th
at 15-over par.Â
There’s no rest for the weary though. The team must
jump right back into their competitive state of mind starting
Thursday in preparation for the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in
Tempe, Arizona.Â