After a mid-year break that forced the Bruins to sit idle on a No. 1 national ranking, the team has gotten back to proving its stature with an excellent round at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge on Monday.
The Bruins are competing in their first event since October. Over the break, some of the women competed in various tournaments while a few took the time off to work on their game and concentrate on school.
After 18 holes the Bruins sit in first place with a team score of four over par, 10 strokes ahead of second place USC.
Sophomore Sydnee Michaels had an excellent day to lead the Bruins. She shot an even par 71 after a birdie on the 18th hole. The tournament will continue today and finish Wednesday.
UCLA faces Arizona State, USC and 12 other teams at the tournament, hosted by the Trojans and Ohio State at the Palos Verdes Golf Club.
Since Palos Verdes is only 30 minutes south of Westwood, the Bruins were able to practice on the course before the tournament.
Familiarity has helped the team handle the challenges posed by the course.
“The course is difficult. The more you play it the better you will get at it,” Michaels said.
Every member of the team has played the course at least three times. But weather can always change the way a course must be managed.
“The question mark at Palos Verdes is the weather because it is a difficult golf course when the weather is good,” coach Carrie Forsyth said. “When the weather is difficult, playing could be tough.”
It was sunny and clear Monday in Palos Verdes and similar conditions are forecasted for the rest of the week.
The Bruins always say that being ranked No. 1 does not change who they are and it definitely does not change their practice habits or determination.
According to Michaels, UCLA is a “force to be reckoned with.”
But Michaels and her teammates are hardly arrogant. The Bruins are aware of their standing in the nation and know that every time they set foot on a golf course there are numerous other teams who want to take their No. 1 ranking.
“We can’t be too overconfident and say, “˜Oh, we’re not going to practice, we’re so good,'” Michaels said. “I think it’s more motivating to say that “˜yeah, we’re number one and we have this to keep, and we want to keep it.'”
The outstanding performance Michaels delivered Monday could have been a response to Forsyth’s concern.
Around Christmas, Forsyth sat her down and told Michaels that the team and the coaching staff were disappointed in her efforts. Michaels said that realizing everyone else believed she could perform better made her push herself to the next level.
The team is in one of the best positions it has been in years.
Unlike last year, they have a full team with no injuries and with individual women each able to contribute a valuable score.
“The girls look a lot more sharp,” Forsyth said.
The cushion that the Bruins secured for themselves in the first day of the tournament could send a message to the team’s competition.
“We are UCLA,” Michaels said. “People are intimidated by us.”