Last week concluded what was a solid season for the UCLA women’s golf team, a season that was capped off by a second-place finish in the NCAA Championships.
Coming just short of a national title, though, could not sully what Bruins called an incredible season in which they tied a school record for most tournament victories by winning seven of 11 events.
“We had a really good team this year,” freshman Stephanie Kono said. “Our team was really talented; I think everybody worked hard and really wanted to win and really played well at every tournament. It was really special being on a team like that. I don’t think it happens very often, when a group of people like that and a good coach come together. Good things happen.”
During the fall season, UCLA got off to a strong start, collecting wins in its first three tournaments.
The Bruins dominated most of their competition during the first half of the season, but as the season wound toward the winter, a new team threatened to claim UCLA’s No. 1 spot.
Arizona State revamped its entire roster after losing its No. 1 player Anna Nordqvist to professional golf. The Sun Devils made their debut in February at the Regional Challenge with three new players added to the roster, including Carlota Ciganda, who eventually went on to win the individual Pac-10 and West Regional titles.
The rest of the season, there was a constant battle for the top spot between three Pac-10 powerhouses: UCLA, ASU and USC ““ the team that won the NCAA Championships in 2008.
Individually, four out of five players in the UCLA starting lineup collected personal accolades and tournament titles. Coincidentally, a Bruin individual title in a tournament was usually followed by a team victory in that event.
Sophomore Glory Yang won the Topy Cup, and junior Sydnee Michaels won the Mason Rudolph Invitational to kick off the year in September. Kono took the Collegiate Match Play Championship preliminaries in November and helped the Bruins sweep the UCF Challenge in March. Sophomore Maria Jose Uribe defended her 2008 Central Regional title by capturing the individual championship this year.
The only player left out of this circle was senior Tiffany Joh. Last season’s leading scorer struggled this year because of a slight swing change. Joh did not qualify to play in the UCF Challenge this season.
“My season in general this year had probably been one of my worst since coming to UCLA,” Joh said. “This year in terms of golf has been kind of humbling for me.”
UCLA will be losing Joh to graduation and Uribe to professional golf now that the season has ended. Seniors Maiya Tanaka and Ryann O’Toole are also graduating.
“It’s going to be really different next year,” Kono said. “They can’t be replaced, so hopefully we’ll have some really good members next year.”
One of these members is Tiffany Lua from Rowland Heights who signed to play for UCLA as a freshman next season. Lua is ranked ninth by American Junior Golf Association. The Bruins are also expected to bring in two walk-ons.
And while the season has ended, golf has not for the Bruins. Joh, Yang, Kono, O’Toole and freshman Brianna Do all advanced to the sectional qualifier for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open at Saucon Valley Golf Club in Bethlehem, Pa., on July 9-12. Uribe received exemption for finishing in the top 15 last year.
The U.S. Open in July will be the first tournament the four Bruins leaving UCLA will play as professionals.
“What I’m going to miss most is being able to count on Stephanie’s score to bail me out,” Joh said. “I think there’s a lot of little things. … The game is going to stay the same, but it’s going to be different in so many different ways.”