COLUMBUS, Ohio “”mdash; Walking a golf course is usually not that
difficult. Walking it in Carrie Forsyth’s shoes this season,
however, has been. The UCLA women’s golf coach is pregnant
with twins and is due sometime around October. While she has
attempted to keep the same routines throughout tournaments this
season, they have at points become too physically demanding.
Forsyth has been hospitalized twice since the beginning of winter
quarter and did not travel with the team to Guadalajara, Mexico for
the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, March 6-8. “It’s been a
rough year,” Forsyth said. Because the Scarlet Course on the
Ohio State University campus was recently renovated, the NCAA has
prohibited coaches from using golf carts on the course ““ the
customary practice at NCAA-sanctioned tournaments. When informed of
Forsyth’s condition, however, the NCAA permitted the UCLA
coach to use a golf cart for the four-day event, but she declined
the offer. “I think it’s a little unfair advantage if I
get to use the cart and other coaches don’t,” Forsyth
said. “Plus, I feel great, even better (Wednesday) than I did
on Tuesday. “They say I should be exercising anyway, so
that’s how I am looking at it,” Forsyth said. Forsyth
said she promised her husband, James, that she would use the cart
if her physical condition warranted it.
ROLLING ON THE COURSE: For the second
consecutive tournament, junior Hannah Jun is using a pull cart to
navigate around the golf course. Jun, who is still recovering from
spinal cord injuries suffered as a passenger in a car accident on
Dec. 10, 2005, opted for the pull cart while she continues to
increase her stamina. As a sign of team solidarity, each of the
Bruins is using a pull cart this week in Columbus. UCLA is the only
team in the 24-team field to exclusively use pull carts.
SUSIE’S BACK: Susie Mathews experienced
some pain in her left shoulder during Wednesday’s second
round of the NCAA Championships. Though the senior was quick to
refute the notion of the pain having any impact on her score, she
was repeatedly tending to the area for most of the morning.
“It’s just a little pain in my shoulder, but it has no
effect on my swing or my game,” Mathews said. Since going
1-under par in her first 14 holes of the tournament, Mathews has
shot 14-over par in her last 22 holes.
FLOP SHOTS: Arizona State, the clubhouse leader
at the tournament’s halfway point, benefited from two eagles
on the par-5 14th on Wednesday. … Thursday’s forecast calls
for temperatures in the high 80s with a 40 percent chance of
thunderstorms. … UCLA will be paired with Cal and Texas A&M
during today’s third round. The Bruins begin to tee off at
12:30 p.m., off of the 10th tee.