The UCLA men’s golf team put all the pieces together on Wednesday to improve from eighth place to sixth place after two rough days at the Pac-10 Championships in Seattle.
The Bruins shot a 352 (-8), which tied the champion Washington Huskies for best round of the day and catapulted them above USC and California in the standings.
UCLA was led by senior Erik Flores, who continued his hot streak with a final round of 67 (-5), the lowest score of anyone in the entire field on Wednesday. Flores finished tied for third with a four round total of 283 (-5), six strokes behind champion Darren Wallace of Washington.
“My last two rounds got me back in the tournament,” Flores said. “There are a lot of positives we can take from this tournament, but the inconsistency is just not OK.”
The inconsistency was evident on the scorecards, which were littered with some birdies but also a handful of double and triple-bogeys. The majority of high scores came during the first two rounds on Monday.
“In college golf, the winners usually have the fewest number of double-bogeys and above,” coach Derek Freeman said. “It’s so taxing on our guys mentally, and it’s one thing that’s really hurt us this year.”
Although the Bruins turned in poor performances on Monday, the team shot 32 strokes better during the last two rounds of the tournament.
Pacing the Bruins on Tuesday and Wednesday was sophomore Connor Driscoll, who shot a 70 (-2) on Tuesday and a 69 (-3) on Wednesday to finish in a tie for 13th place at 290 (+2). After tough rounds on Monday, Driscoll said he took some time to himself, refocused and committed to playing better the next few rounds. The scores that followed were Driscoll’s two lowest scores ever as a Bruin.
“I started thinking about how much I prepared and how much work I had put in, and I felt like I deserved to play well,” Driscoll said. “I went out there with that confidence and rebounded well from the mistakes I did make.”
Freshman Gregor Main, who has been one of UCLA’s most consistent contributors, got off to a rocky start like the rest of the team on Monday. But a bold decision by Freeman helped Main turn things around in the later rounds.
Freeman walked the entire 18 holes with Main, instead of splitting up his time with different members of the team.
“I really felt like today was going to be a key day for (Main),” Freeman said. “When he is able to see the same things that I can, it puts us as a great team.”
Main shot 68 (-4) on the day, second only to Flores on Wednesday for the lowest round in the whole field. He finished at 294 (+6) and tied for 24th overall.
“He kept me calm all day and kept me very focused,” Main said of his coach.
Sophomore Philip Francis was also instrumental for the Bruins, as he was one of the most consistent players throughout all four rounds, shooting no higher than 74 (+2) and finishing with a 291 (+3) in a tie for 16th place.
One thing that the Bruins stressed was that despite a poor overall performance, they were still confident in their abilities after their strong round on Wednesday.
With the NCAA Regional coming up in two weeks, there is just enough time for the Bruins to regain their focus and work out the kinks.
UCLA must finish in the top 5 at the NCAA Regional to qualify for the NCAA Championships at the end of May.
“We’re not happy with a sixth-place finish,” Freeman said, “But compared to where we were 24 hours ago, we’re happier.”
NOTES: By finishing ahead of USC, UCLA picked up five points in the Lexus Gauntlet race. The Bruins currently trail the Trojans 50-45.