The Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis, Ore., with its
links-style layout and harsh weather, will foster a Scottish
atmosphere for the Pac-10 championships of women’s golf this
weekend.
Rumors of bagpipers serenading the players and scoreboard
bearers sporting kilts, however, have been unconfirmed.
The No. 13 UCLA women’s golf team will have to battle the
elements and three teams ranked in the top 10 nationally to walk
away as this year’s champions.
“Throughout the season, we’ve beaten every Pac-10
team at least once,” head coach Carrie Leary said.
“That is a big boost for us.”
The team will send Charlotte Mayorkas, Susie Mathews, Hana Kim,
Gina Umeck and Melissa Martin to compete in team scoring. Junior
Krystal Shearer will play in the event as an individual.
“I am really excited, and I am a little nervous,”
Shearer said. “But it’s the good kind of
nervousness.”
This season has witnessed the emergence of sophomore Mayorkas as
somewhat of a superstar. Currently the No. 5 player in the country,
Mayorkas is ready for the Pac-10 Championship. She had her first
collegiate victory in her last outing at the ASU Thunderbird
Invitational in Tempe, Ariz.
Only Arizona’s Erica Blasberg (No. 1) and USC’s
Mikaela Parmlid (No. 3) are ranked higher individually than
Mayorkas in the upcoming tournament.
“(Charlotte is) definitely in the right state of
mind,” assistant coach Amanda Carmichael said. “Her
actions and her words show me she’s ready to be a
champion.”
Though on top of her game, Mayorkas does not share the
experience of her teammates Kim, Umeck and Martin, all of whom
played Trysting Tree back in September at the Shanico
Inivitational. The team finished in a tie for second at that
tournament and Kim had the best showing, finishing eighth.
Ranked the third-best collegiate course on the West Coast,
Trysting Tree will play to a par of 72 over 6,160
yards. Although the course is not exceptionally demanding, the
weather forecasted for the three days of competition is expected to
wreak havoc on scores and players’ minds.Â
The players can expect heavy rain, strong winds, and
temperatures of 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit for the entire
tournament.
“The course will not be particularly demanding off the
tee, but it’s going to be really wet,” Leary said.
“It’s going to be important to keep the ball in the
fairway and position ourselves on the green.”
Having practiced and spent a majority of their time in Southern
California, UCLA’s players have not been exposed to the
inclement weather that other teams have had the
“luxury” to compete in.
“If it rains, the Washington and Oregon schools will have
an advantage,” Shearer said. “But if we can top them
with our mental game, we’ll have (the advantage).”
What the team lacks in experience in bad weather it should make
up in its meticulous preparation and attention to detail.
“Weather has hurt us a bit,” Carmichael said.
“But despite the weather, we should be in good shape.
They’re ready, they’re focused, and they just want to
have fun.”
“Hopefully we’ll bring home the trophy,”
Shearer said.