OPELIKA, Ala. “”mdash; After junior Charlotte Mayorkas drained
her 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, she knew.
“I felt a bit relieved after that,” Mayorkas
said.
When senior Gina Umeck hit a perfect 7-wood approach shot to the
uphill 18th that put her ball to within six feet of the flag for
birdie, she knew.
“That was when I thought, “˜This is the day. This is
definitely the day,'” Umeck said.
Once senior Krystal Shearer and freshman Hannah Jun saw the
final group safely walking up the 18th fairway, they knew.
“I was really nervous sitting there,” Shearer said.
“My heart was leaping through my chest.”
And when sophomore Susie Mathews approached the 18th green and
took a casual glance at the faces of her teammates and coaches, she
knew.
“When I looked over and saw everyone happy, I had an
inkling,” Mathews said.
There was no single defining moment that marked the No. 2 UCLA
women’s golf team’s triumphant three-shot victory at
the 2004 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships on Grand National
Lake Course in Opelika, Ala. on Saturday.
They were all defining moments.
As UCLA coach Carrie Forsyth joined her team behind the 18th
hole in time for Mathews’ final putt, she was barely able to
contain her smile and the fast-approaching tears when she asked,
“Is the scoreboard accurate?”
Her team, which had been diligently watching every movement on
the giant scoreboard beside the 18th green, confirmed that indeed
it was.
The Bruins used a final-round total of 2-over par and played
over Friday and Saturday due to a weather delay to finish the
championship with a collective total of 4-under par. UCLA held off
a gritty and charging Oklahoma State team, which breathed down
their necks all tournament, by three shots.
With its performance, UCLA is bringing back to Westwood only its
second women’s golf national title in the program’s
history, providing a sibling for the 1991 championship trophy.
Forsyth, who was part of that last squad to reign as champions
13 years ago, was emotional after the long, hard-fought
tournament.
For her, the mission of climbing to the top of the collegiate
golfing world didn’t start last Tuesday, but rather it
commenced a year ago, watching USC win the title. Long after
Mathews’ final putt sealed this year’s victory, Forsyth
was savoring the view from the top.
“Last year was so rough,” Forsyth said. “To
come to today, it feels really, really good. … Really, really
good. They were so poised and played so well. It’s been a
tremendous day for the girls, and me personally.”
That day almost turned into a nightmare just 24 hours before.
Entering Friday’s final round with a five-shot lead over
Oklahoma State and the pressure at its peak, UCLA’s nerves
were apparent, its foundation nearly crumbling.
The Bruins got off to a horrid start in the round, tallying only
one birdie in their first collective 35 holes. Although in a
tailspin, the team may have been saved by reports of lightning
strikes only a few miles away, which prompted course officials to
suspend play.
The break, which lasted for over three hours, gave UCLA a chance
to recuperate from what had already been a tough round.
At the time, the Bruins had given up most of their five-shot
lead, and more significantly had allowed tournament-favorite No. 1
Duke back into the championship picture, with the Blue Devils only
two shots back.
“We were definitely struggling when they halted play
(Friday),” Forsyth said.
While the rain and lightning never materialized, the
Bruins’ focus and composure returned after the delay, and no
one took advantage of the break more than Mathews.
The sophomore from Australia, who had been near or atop the
leaderboard until posting 4-over par after seven holes Friday,
returned with a vengeance Saturday to complete her round.
After birdieing her first hole Saturday, the par-4 9th, Mathews
took that momentum with her to the back nine, draining birdie putts
at 10 and 12.
“It was a great way to start the day,” said Mathews,
who was the Bruins’ highest individual finisher in third
place at 8-under par for the championship, finishing two shots
behind individual champion Sarah Huarte from Cal.
“I had to relax and play like I did the other days, and I
think I did that (Saturday) morning,” she said.
Mathews was joined in the top 10 by her teammate Mayorkas, who
after an opening round 74, went on to post three consecutive rounds
under par to finish the tournament at 4-under par and alone in
fourth place. Mayorkas, known for her steady demeanor on the
course, found extra motivation in the group playing in front of her
on Saturday.
“We’ve waited all year long for this,” said
Mayorkas, whose birdies on 16 and 17 proved paramount.
“I kept watching Gina (Umeck) fist pump and that got me
motivated. We kept on fighting. This season definitely would have
been incomplete (without a championship).”
Though they were recognized before the championship as a solid
group of players who had a successful season, the Bruins played the
role of heavy underdogs entering the tournament to heavily favored
Duke.
Not many thought a Blue Devil team that had won nine out of 10
events and featured all of its starters in the top 15 in the
country could be toppled. And though UCLA had won five out of its
last six tournaments, the spotlight was conveniently on Duke. For
the Bruins, who felt slightly disrespected, they let their game do
the talking for them.
“To come here and conquer the preconceived notions
everyone had about this championship and what we were about as a
team, it’s a tremendous boost to the program and means a ton
to me and the girls,” Forsyth said. “It does taste that
much sweeter.”
“Duke had such an awesome season, and it’s
rightfully so that they get that much attention,” Jun added.
“The media portrayed us as good, but not good enough. There
was a lot of doubt, but obviously we know now.”
Blue Devil Elizabeth Janangelo, the No. 1-ranked player in the
country ahead of Mayorkas, said, “We played with guts and
heart, and we didn’t come out on top. That makes UCLA a
better team, and they deserve the title.”
And so the Bruins huddled beside the 18th green, as they did a
year ago, but this time as champions. Sophia Sheridan of the Cal
team took the liberty of dumping a bucket full of ice water on them
as they congregated, which, along with their euphoric emotions,
made the sweltering Alabama-afternoon heat disappear.
“Four years ago, the word was “˜hope,’ and this
year the word was “˜do,’ and I couldn’t feel any
better than I do right now,” said a wet Umeck. “It
ended perfectly. You can’t ask for a better
ending.”