The weekend was full of surprises for the UCLA women’s golf team.
The Bruins went into the NCAA East Regional excited to have received a No. 2 seed. Once on the course, the Bruins demonstrated that the seeding was well-deserved with a performance that left the No. 1 collegiate golfer in the country in dismay.
UCLA finished the tournament in second place behind Duke, who was the favorite to win the regional. UCLA’s overall score was 846 (-18) and Duke finished with 844 (-20). Wake Forest University came in third with a score of 858 (-6 ).
“I think if you looked at our two teams, it was a good track, we and Duke. Our girls were really hitting good shots and making the putts,” coach Carrie Forsyth said
With the successful weekend, UCLA earned a position in the NCAA Championships, which will take place at the University of Central Florida from May 22-25.
Bruin freshman Sydnee Michaels came in first place overall, scoring lower than her teammate sophomore Tiffany Joh and Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst, the No. 1-ranked player in the country. Joh and Blumenherst tied for second place with an overall score of 206 (-10).
“It’s big for (Michaels). She’s had a difficult year,” Forsyth said. “Her confidence was low; now she’s made the changes that she needed to make. She beat the best player in the country, that’s just huge for her confidence. She’s going to have a great career at UCLA.”
Michaels began the tournament by hitting 6-under par, tied for first place. As the regional went on, she continued to play well, hitting 68 and 69 in the second and third rounds, respectively. Her consistently solid performance kept her at the No. 1 spot throughout the tournament.
By winning her first collegiate tournament, Michaels managed to set a new UCLA school record of firing 13-under par on a 54-hole course. So far she has averaged 75.9 as a Bruin.
“It doesn’t surprise me that she won; she has been coming really close to winning,” Forsyth said. “This is the really small thing that she needed to know that she can win.”
Before the regional, Michaels’ best placing was when she tied for 11th in the beginning of the season at the Mason Rudolph Tournament.
The regional was a battle between UCLA and Duke, with the Bruins leading in the first and second rounds. However, Blumenherst’s third-round score of 63 took the Blue Devils to the top.
“I feel really good about how our team performed,” Forsyth said. “Honestly, we played well in the last round as well. Duke just had a player who had a course record-setting performance.”
Blumenherst’s astounding one-round shot was not able to bring her to the top in the individuals. Michaels managed to fire 69 in the third round, securing her place on the top.
After the first day Joh was in 13th place with a score of 70, 2-under par. She climbed in the second round with a strong showing, including an eagle and several birdies, and finished the day with a mark of 68. She repeated her performance in the third round, keeping her right next to Blumenherst but not ahead of the Duke golfer.
“The last round was so frustrating; I had a lot of opportunities,” Joh said. “I kind of started comparing where I was at and where (Blumenherst) was. It was a little disappointing.”
Also contributing to the Bruins’ second-place finish was sophomore Ryann O’Toole, who tied for 35th place with an overall score of 218 (+2). Senior Hannah Jun posted 6-over par and tied for 58th place. Junior Maiya Tanaka finished the tournament with an overall score of 226 (+10).
“Going into it, we were really surprised,” Joh said. “Coming out of the regional, we really legitimately think that we have the chance to win the championship.”