It was a gorgeous day in Los Angeles Thursday, 80 degrees and sunny, but the UCLA men’s golf team practiced in full rain gear: long pants, heavy windbreakers and bulky umbrellas.
The Bruins were probably a little uncomfortable, and that was the point.
Coach Derek Freeman wanted to mimic the conditions his team will face this weekend when UCLA travels to play in the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge at Chambers Bay Golf Club in University Place, Wash.
The forecast calls for rain and temperatures in the low 50s throughout the event, which starts Sunday and ends Monday.
“It’s important that these guys get that feeling of playing in the rain,” Freeman said. “We’ve got to be able to go up there and play in tough conditions.”
Freeman compared his use of rain gear to a football team playing loud music during practices to prepare for a road game. And it’s no surprise that the Bruins are taking this tournament seriously. The team entered the year ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek preseason poll, but has dropped out of the rankings because they haven’t played in the first six weeks of the college golf fall season.
Seven other teams will compete in the event: Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan State.
“Everyone’s looking at us and wondering where we’ve been,” senior All-American Kevin Chappell said. “We have a statement to make because of all the hype.”
All the Bruins are approaching this event differently because of the conditions. Chappell, for instance, is using a 2-iron as opposed to a hybrid club, because the 2-iron is easier to control in windy conditions.
And Freeman has covered all the intricacies of playing in the rain with his team. The biggest concern is keeping equipment dry. It’s important for players to place their umbrella on the correct side of the bag and hang their gloves and towels on the inside of the umbrella.
“Guys that are experienced in bad weather know what they need to do, and it’s a big deal,” Freeman said. “It only takes one time for your hand to slip off that grip before you understand the value of having a dry towel.”
The tournament is also an opportunity for UCLA to play all of its players. All-American junior Lucas Lee, senior Craig Leslie, sophomore Jason Kang, freshman Conor Driscoll and Chappell will make up the Bruins’ team.
Junior Erik Flores and freshman Philip Francis will play as individuals, not with the UCLA team. Two other Bruins will play as individuals as well.
This also marks the team’s first tournament under Freeman, who took over almost 4 months ago when O.D. Vincent accepted the head coaching position at Duke University.
“Derek is more than our coach, he’s a friend to all of us,” Chappell said. “We’ve adapted well (to the coaching change), but there wasn’t much adapting to do,”
Freeman took over a program with serious potential. The Bruins certainly have the talent to challenge for a national championship. But the May postseason is a long way away, and, for now, Freeman is just trying to make sure his team improves everyday. And he expects the challenge presented by this tournament to help his team in the long run.
“This is exactly the type of tournament we want to play,” Freeman said. “We want to play on tough golf courses against good competition in difficult conditions. That’s a true test.”