The 2002-2003 season for the UCLA men’s golf team has been
one of the most successful in the history of the university.
The squad’s resume includes seven tournament wins, three
individual tournament winners, the title of Pac-10 Champions and
the school’s first ever first-place finish at the NCAA West
Regional on Saturday.
Neither rain nor Ricky Barnes could stop No. 11 UCLA’s run
at Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash. The Bruins led
the three-round tournament wire-to-wire, finishing at even-par, one
shot ahead of No. 7 Arizona.
With the win, the Bruins presented head coach O.D. Vincent with
a nice homecoming gift: A top seed in the NCAA Championship.
“The team played extremely well,” Vincent
said. “The guys are playing with a lot of confidence and
they’re very uncomfortable when they’re not in the
lead, which is a good place to be.”
Entering Saturday’s final round, UCLA enjoyed a nine-shot
advantage over second-place Arizona. However, Arizona made a
drastic charge toward the top of the leaderboard, getting to within
a single stroke of UCLA.
The teams arrived at the 18th hole one shot apart, but
Merrick’s par on the final hole ensured a Bruin victory.
“He needed to make a great up-and-down on 18 for par to
secure the title for us. It was good for somebody to press and
chase us, and Arizona played quite well,” Vincent said.
Led by junior Steve Conway, each Bruin finished in the top 32 of
the 141-player field. Conway posted three rounds of 71 to finish at
three-under par and in fifth place. Junior John Merrick joined
Conway in the top 10, finishing the tournament at two-under par and
tied for sixth place.
“(Steve) feels good where he’s at and he knows what
to work on for Oklahoma next week,” Vincent
said. “He was frustrated by his last three holes, but he
played extremely well.”
Teammate Travis Johnson, near the top of the leaderboard after a
first-round 71, finished tied for 16th at two-over. Juniors Roy
Moon and John Poucher finished tied for 27th and 32nd,
respectively. New Mexico’s Michael Letzig took home
individual honors with a three-round total of eight-under par.
UCLA took command of the regional during Friday’s second
round. The team compiled a score of eight-under par, by far the
lowest team round of the tournament.
Four of the five Bruin players had rounds under par, highlighted
by John Merrick’s five-under 67, a course record. During the
third round, Pepperdine’s Michael Putnam shot an eight-under
64 to displace Merrick’s record.
Despite their overwhelming success this year, Vincent and his
Bruins know their work is not done yet. There is still one more
goal to strive for and one more obstacle to tackle. The NCAA
Championship will provide the strongest test these Bruins have
faced to date.
Among the swirling winds and open landscape of Stillwater,
Okla., UCLA will look to battle the elements, the competition and
themselves to bring back the school’s second-ever men’s
golf championship.
“They’re pretty used to pressure situations,”
said Vincent of his team in preparation for the NCAA Championship.
“They’re not nervous, they’re excited to get
going. They wished they could start playing
tomorrow.”
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Vincent confirmed Sunday that freshman standout Spencer Levin
has received a release from his scholarship.
Levin, the highest-ranked Bruin for much of the beginning of the
year, had seen his play slip in the latter part of the
season. He was suspended for 35 days earlier in the season for
violations of team conduct.
Junior John Poucher has since replaced Levin as one of the top
five Bruins, and Levin did not accompany the team to the West
Regional.
Vincent declined to comment further on the situation.
Don Levin, Spencer’s father, told the Sacramento Bee that
the choice of his son’s next school was “up in the
air.”