The UCLA women’s and men’s golf teams will head into a two-tournament stretch before they undergo a small hiatus during which they will not compete until February.
This weekend, the men will play at the U.S Collegiate Championship in Alpharaetta, Ga. whereas the women will participate at the Stanford Intercollegiate.
Both teams may find some similarity in schedules, but are ultimately headed in different directions and led by different motives.
The women came into the season after placing third at the NCAA championships this past spring.
Expectations are especially high for the women as they went into the championship ranked No.2 and came out in third place.
However, they’ve had a less than stellar start to the season.
While they placed second at their first tournament, the Powerade Cougar Classic, they placed ninth in their last tournament, the ANNIKA Intercollegiate.
“The short game was a problem as the greens were slower there than they are here in California,” said senior Erynne Lee. “Mentally, it brought us down because we were all struggling with our putting, but we just had to pick ourselves up and work on every aspect of our game.”
The women have had two weeks to prepare for the Stanford Intercollegiate, but a looming prospect shadows the team as sophomore and No.1 ranked individual golfer Alison Lee may leave the team for the season after these next two tournaments.
“We need to have some good finishes before the break as we potentially only have two more opportunities with Alison on the team since, if she gets her tour card, she won’t be back in the spring,” said women’s golf coach Carrie Forsyth. “These next few weeks give us a chance to win two tournaments, especially this weekend, as it’s difficult to look ahead and know what the team will look like in the spring.”
The focus is definitely on doing well now, but with Alison Lee’s status up in the air, the women will have to make the next two tournaments count, starting with Stanford this weekend.
On the other hand, the men’s team has a different set of expectations, and is off to an encouraging start after tying for first place at the Husky Invitational and winning the Erin Hills Intercollegiate.
“This year, one of the focuses is to get our guys to improve in their individual performances and give them a chance to compete for the individual title every week” said men’s coach Derek Freeman. “We stressed in the preseason that we have the capability to win every week, both individually and as a team.”
The golf season extends year-round, but a nice break awaits the Bruins after the next two team tournaments, starting with the U.S Collegiate Championship this weekend.
“We encourage our guys to take some time off during the break and get their bodies and minds fresh,” Freeman said. “But for this week, our guys know the course well, they understand what it is and we’re not trying to just compete, but we want to figure how to play well and have an opportunity to win the tournament.”