The UCLA men’s golf team experienced a bit of deja vu Tuesday after they finished in a tie for fifth place at the U.S. Intercollegiate at Stanford Golf Course.
At last year’s U.S. Intercollegiate, the Bruins finished fifth, albeit in very different fashion.
Last year the Bruins finished the tournament at nine-under-par. This year, they posted a three-round total of 849 (+9). Another familiar sight for the Bruins was watching Washington’s Nick Taylor finish at the top of the leaderboard. Taylor finished second to Oregon’s Daniel Miernicki at this year’s event. Miernicki finished at 202 (-8) to take top-medalist honors and secure the coveted exemption to the Reno-Tahoe Open on the PGA circuit this summer.
Oregon won the team title as well, finishing three shots ahead of San Diego State, who may have been the surprise of the tournament. The Aztecs came into the tournament ranked No. 33 and finished above five teams in the top 15.
The Bruins didn’t have a player finish under par, with Kim carding a 211 (+1) to finish in 18th, nabbing the top spot on the team. Freshman Pedro Figueiredo finished at two-over-par, one shot behind Kim in a tie for 19th. Sophomore Gregor Main and Freshman Pontus Widegren both finished tied for 24th at 213 (+3).
“It was kind of disappointing because we didn’t have any round under par,” Figueiredo said of the team’s performance. “We didn’t have any momentum and without a round under par, it’s hard to win.”
Kim agreed that the Bruins didn’t have anyone step up and go low.
“We all played pretty consistent but no one could really take it under par,” Kim said. “You always need at least one person to play under par so that really hurt us this week.”
Also new this year, the Bruins had to deal with inclement weather. Play was suspended several times throughout Sunday’s initial round. It resumed early Monday morning with 23 holes being played to account for Sunday’s incomplete round.
“It was kind of hard to keep a rhythm because we were leaving the golf course and coming back,” Figueiredo said, “It was hard for me to stay concentrated but it’s something that we’ve got to learn.”
Kim said that the weather affected his putting most.
“It was tough to judge the speed of the greens because they were so wet,” Kim said. “Some of the greens were so wet that they had to squeegee them as we were playing.”
Figueiredo doesn’t, however, see this tournament as a step in the wrong direction as they prepare for the Pac-10 Championships.
“We know we didn’t play well but we know there are weeks like this and we’re just going to keep moving forward, play better next week,” Figueiredo said.
Kim agreed that he and his teammates shouldn’t be discouraged about their finish.
“I think we’re really close,” Kim said. “A lot of us shot around even so if we can shave one or two strokes here and there, I think we’ll be fine.”