The UCLA women’s golf team narrowly defeated a tight field
in the Sun Devil Invitational on Sunday, showing the form many
expected when tabbing the squad as a national title contender.
The Bruins won by a mere one stroke as they finished the
tournament with a 1-over par 865, above Arizona State’s
2-over 866.
The second-ranked Bruins faced some of their toughest
competition of the season going into this tournament, as they teed
off against nine schools ranked in the top 25.
For the Bruins this would be a major test. It was the second to
last tournament before heading into the Pac-10 Championships.
“We’re looking forward to starting our championship
segment (at the Arizona State Invitational),” coach Carrie
Forsyth said. “We’ve been very successful here in the
past and want to follow up our win in Mexico with another
here.”
UCLA recently defeated Duke, USC and Arizona State, three
top-ranked teams, during the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, which took
place in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The team moved out to second place after the first round, with
four golfers scoring an even par and one golfer 1-over par.
The Bruins, however, wasted little time in the second round as
they shot themselves to a four-stoke lead over Arizona State.
Led by senior and two-time All-American Susie Mathews, the
Bruins gained the lead by staying consistent as other teams
faltered.
Arizona State, the first-round leader, added 15 strokes in the
second round, going from an impressive 5-under par 283 to a dismal
10-over par 298.
UCLA, on the other hand, added just one shot, going from an even
par 288 to a 1-over par 289.
Individually, the Bruins also found success.
Bruin freshman Jane Park finished tied for second place with 211
(-5), just one stroke behind the individual winner Adriana Zwanck
of Arizona, who finished with 210 (-6).
UCLA sophomore Amie Cochran found her way to fourth, shooting
3-under for the tournament. Mathews (+4), Tiffany Joh (+6) and
Ryann O’Toole (+13) were not far behind, finishing tied for
12th, tied for 15th and tied for 37th, respectively.