Going out on top is a something nearly every athlete dreams of, but that only a few ever realize. Today, seniors Lee Lopez and Tiffany Lua will have a chance to achieve this dream as they begin their final college tournament – the NCAA championship.
“I’m excited, and ready to (compete),” Lua said. “This being something you’ve worked towards for so long, you just want to jump on it and play.”
The enthusiasm is palpable as the UCLA women’s golf team takes the course today in Athens, Ga. Though the team has gone through a rough stretch in the past few weeks, its strong showing on the third day of the NCAA Regional has served to boost its confidence coming into the tournament. According to coach Carrie Forsyth, having a high level of confidence is of utmost importance if the team is to succeed in the field of 24 teams.
“Golf is a game of confidence,” she said, “If you’re not confident in what you’re doing, it’s hard emotionally and mentally to keep it together. You feel like you’re always on edge, waiting for something bad to happen.”
This lack of confidence, especially in the Bruins’ putting and long game, was a key source of the team’s recent struggles, Forsyth said. It caused players to lose focus on the shot at hand and play less aggressively, especially after poor shots.
Mistakes compounded and lost confidence from one misplayed hole could jeopardize an entire day. This loss of confidence has happened to the Bruins repeatedly this season, especially at the Pac-12 tournament in late April and during part of the NCAA Regionals, in which the Bruins finished seventh.
After a sloppy second day of regionals, however, sophomore Erynne Lee says the team turned a corner, concentrating its focus on the objective at hand: each individual shot. The refocused Bruins played very well and qualified for the NCAA tournament on the strength of that third day.
“To succeed, we have to collect ourselves mentally and physically,” Lee said. “That’s something we were able to do on day three last week, and we’re looking to carry that over (to the championship).”
Increased confidence and renewed focus are not the only reasons for the team’s optimism. Lee and freshman Louise Ridderstrom will both be playing with new clubs, and according to Forsyth, this change has yielded positive results so far in practice.
Furthermore, in Athens, the team will be playing on bent grass, a more familiar type of grass than the Bermuda grass the Bruins played on during the regionals. Forsyth said that at least some of the struggles during the tournament were because of the unfamiliar characteristics of the Bermuda grass, and that playing on grass they are accustomed to will be another positive for the Bruins.
These positives aside, the Bruins’ ability to perform under stress will determine what they accomplish. Playing a grueling four-day tournament on the nation’s highest collegiate stage against such teams as surging No. 2 Alabama, the team will be under intense pressure. As Forsyth said, the manner in which the Bruins cope with this is central to their performance.
“Everybody feels pressure, everybody wants to do well,” Forsyth said. “But how you let that affect you (makes) the difference.”