The toughest golf course in the nation lived up to its reputation this past weekend, as the top golf teams in the nation recorded their highest scores of the season.
Going into the Stanford/Pepsi Intercollegiate, the No. 1 UCLA women’s golf team did not expect a smooth ride. It got exactly what it expected.
The Bruins faced numerous rough patches on their way to a third-place finish in the tournament. Aside from having to worry about the strong course, the Bruins also faced windy and cold conditions Saturday and were forced to deal with two-time All-American Tiffany Joh not performing at her usual level for the first two days of the tournament.
However, as the sun began shining Sunday, so did Joh.
“Tiffany made a minor adjustment in her swing and started hitting the ball well,” coach Carrie Forsyth said.
Joh made a comeback Sunday, firing a three-under-par 68.
As a team, the Bruins played well enough on the final day to move into the top three, shooting a collective one under par to bring their three-day total to 872, good for 20 over par.
UCLA was paired with Duke and Arizona State for the tournament. The three teams finished the tournament in the top three spots. The Sun Devils fired eight below par Sunday to win their first title of the season. They were followed by the Blue Devils coming in second with three-day total of 862 (+10).
“I think the weather contributed to the higher scores in round two, but the biggest factor was the high rough,” Forsyth said. “If players hit it into the rough it was hard to score.”
All things considered, the Bruins had a good run at Stanford.
“The course played tougher than previous years and we made a few mistakes,” assistant coach Alicia Um said. “But this was a positive event for us in that we played well and did a lot of things like we wanted to.”
Freshman Glory Yang had a marvelous start to the tournament by shooting a two-under-par 69 on the first day. She also almost made a hole in one on hole 14 Saturday.
“Glory did a nice job of keeping herself composed after struggling with her game in round two,” Forsyth said. “She continues to grow as a player.”
Yang and Joh finished tied for 13th place, with overall scores of 219, 6 over par.
Maria Jose Uribe was another freshman showing consistency and confidence in her game over the weekend. Her scores from each day revealed marked improvement.
Uribe finished 75-73-72 and came very close to having a hole in one on hole 17 Sunday. She exited the tournament tied for the 16th spot with three-day total of 220.
Sophomore Sydnee Michaels tied for 11th place by shooting 73-73-72. She finished with the best individual score for the Bruins.
The Blue Devils and the Sun Devils dominated the scoreboard. Each team had three players with at least one under-par score.
Defending NCAA Champion Stacy Lewis, from the University of Arkansas, took the title. Lewis, alongside ASU’s Jennifer Osborn, were the only two to finish the tournament under par. Osborn finished second with one under par, while Lewis shot a 2-under-par 211.
Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst, the No. 1 golfer in the country, was not able to finish the tournament as strong as she started it. She shot a 66 in the first round but a 76 in the third. Blumenherst finished tied for fifth place with her teammate Alison Whitaker.
Tiffany Joh and Blumenherst are going to represent the United States at the Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship in Houston, Texas, this week.
Following Spirit, Joh will join the rest of the Bruins in Hawaii for the University of Hawai’i Invitational.
According to Forsyth, the course in Hawaii is much easier than the course at Stanford and may prove to be kinder to the Bruin scores.