Pontus Widegren is used to donning blue and gold.
The freshman, who has teed it up in 11 tournaments for the UCLA men’s golf team this year, will continue to sport the Bruins’ signature colors throughout the summer. This time, however, he will be doing it while representing his native Sweden.
After recently being named to the All Pac-10 second team, it’s hard for Widegren to consider that a year ago at this time, he was still wrapping up his senior year of high school in Danderyd, Sweden.
The Bruins were expecting big things from Widegren, but it’s safe to say that he outperformed those expectations when he fired a seven under par 64 in the final round of The Battle at the Beach in Newport to help seal the tournament win for the Bruins.
As UCLA prepares to head to Connecticut to compete for the NCAA East Regional championship as the top-seeded team, Widegren will remain instrumental in helping the Bruins succeed. Should they finish in the top five, they will be headed to Tennessee for the NCAA Championships.
Once the champion has been named and final exams have been completed, Widegren’s plans will differ significantly from those of his teammates. He will prepare to leave Westwood behind and travel back to Europe, at least for a while.
It’s going to be a busy summer for Widegren, as he was selected to play in the Palmer Cup in late June, as well as the European Team Championships, which take place in early July.
The Palmer Cup models professional golf’s Ryder Cup, where the best players from America compete in a team match against the best players from all of Europe. The event will closely resemble the rivalry that golf fans see in the Ryder Cup which is played every two years.
“I think it’s as close as you can get for college guys,” UCLA coach Derek Freeman said. “These players play against each other all year long and I think the rivalry is always there when it’s country against country so I think that both teams will be very excited about it and looking forward to it.”
At the professional level, there is a well-documented animosity towards the Americans from the Europeans that isn’t as prevalent in the college ranks. Not that both teams still won’t be gunning for a win.
“There’s always going to be a rivalry, and there’s a lot of prestige in winning it but I don’t think it’s as bad as the Ryder Cup where it’s almost hate, but I think it’s a good rivalry,” Widegren said.
The event is played every summer and alternates in terms of who gets to host. This year’s event will be played on European soil at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Ireland.
“I was very happy, and it was a bit of a goal of mine this year because I know a couple of friends who have played on it before,” Widegren said of his selection to the team. “Being among the top eight Europeans in college is where I want to be so I really wanted to be a part of this team.”
There are three other Swedes on the roster, one of whom, Arizona State’s Jesper Kennegard, competes alongside Widegren in Pac-10 events. Kennegard and Widegren are both from Stockholm and represent the same home club, so Widegren said he won’t have any trouble putting aside their collegiate rivalry to play together at the Palmer Cup in Ireland.
“Of course I’m competing against him here and they’re one of our rival schools, but we’re such good friends so we always support each other and it’s a very friendly rivalry between us,” Widegren said, also mentioning that he has looked up to the older Kennegard for a number of years.
Kennegard echoed Widegren’s remarks and noted that they make each other better whether they’re competing with or against each other.
“It’s fun to compete against him,” Kennegard said. “He’s a great guy and a great player and I really like how he acts when we’re playing in team events together.”
The Palmer Cup series is currently tied, with Europe and the United States having won six times each and tying once, with the Europeans taking home four out of the last six titles. Widegren said that the Europeans will be focused on their respective collegiate events and can’t lend their attention to the pressure of trying to keep up the recent domination.
“I think it’s all going to settle in when you’re there at the event, so it’s kind of hard to tell right now because I haven’t met everyone, but it’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said.
Freeman, meanwhile, has some experience with the Palmer Cup after seeing Erik Flores of last year’s graduating class compete for the Americans, and acknowledged that he could not be more proud of Widegren for being selected to the European team.
“I knew that he would have the opportunity to be selected and he was fortunate enough to play well and he deserves every bit of it,” Freeman said. “He’s going to represent Europe and the USA’s going to have a tough time.”
Freeman has seen other players compete in tournaments that are outside the scope of the collegiate golf scene, with sophomore Gregor Main competing at the PGA’s Bay Hill Invitational in March. He added that having Widegren selected to the Palmer Cup team reflects well on his program as a whole.
“Anytime you have guys that are recognized for their play, that means that we’re doing something right here at UCLA,” Freeman said. “I want these guys to win every award possible and every honor and to play in every team event they can.”
Widegren is excited to compete for Europe and his country, but he admits that there’s a bond between teammates at UCLA that is unlike anything else.
“It’s very special to play here because we live together and we see each other ever day,” Widegren said. “On the national team, we don’t see each other as often because we’re at different schools around the country. We’re still good friends but it’s different when you have this close relationship.”