UCLA’s hopes did not come to fruition though, as the Bruins finished sixth at the Gifford Collegiate without ever really being in contention to take home the title.
On Monday, the first day of the tournament, the Bruins played two rounds and ended the day in sixth place, 13 shots off Alabama’s lead. The final round on Tuesday would prove no better for the Bruins, as they shot a combined score of eight over par on the day and ended up at 12-over for the tournament. This left them in sixth place overall and well off the score of eventual tournament champion Alabama, which won its fourth event in a row of the fall season.
Poor play from surprising sources was a major reason for the Bruin’s sixth place finish. Senior Anton Arboleda, who was in GolfWorld’s Top 50 Players to Watch finished 11 over par and 49th individually overall. Coming off a win at the Cal State San Marcos Fall Classic, junior Preston Valder, also normally a solid player for the Bruins, ended the Gifford Collegiate with a score of 13 over par.
The few bright spots of the tournament for the Bruins came from a few individual Bruin golfers. Sophomore Jake Knapp and junior Jay Hwang finished tied for sixth and 15th, respectively.
UCLA coach Derek Freeman said he was not happy with the way his team performed at the tournament and hopes that the team’s dismal finish can motivate the players to work harder in the offseason.
“I was very much disappointed in how we performed. I felt like the guys had a great challenge in front of them – we got a great field and our team didn’t respond well,” Freeman said. “It leaves a tough taste in our mouth as we move into the offseason, but hopefully it’s a motivating factor and knowing that we have a lot of work to do and we got to get better.”
The Bruins will resume team play in the winter with the Anteater Classic in Irvine on Jan. 27, 2014.
Compiled by Richard Kaumeyer, Bruin Sports contributor