Exactly one year later, UCLA men’s golf is in the same position entering the NCAA championships.
“We are ranked the exact same, in the same position so it’s very similar to last year. We have to play very well because we are technically underdogs,” said junior Jonathan Garrick. “But we know we can make it.”
UCLA is ranked 17th out of the 30 teams in nationals – exactly the same position it was in last year. Now, the Bruins have the chance to repeat last year’s path onto the match play quarterfinal, and into first place.
The championships will begin with a 54-hole stroke play from May 29 to June 3. After the third round of stroke play, the top eight teams will advance to the match play. UCLA will start on the 10th tee at 7 a.m., along with No. 13 Washington and No. 11 Auburn. Following the first round, the Bruins will take on the afternoon wave, starting at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday.
But junior Lorens Chan said the Bruins will be trying to acclimate to more than just their opponents.
“I think the greens are going to be a huge part of the tournament,” Chan said. “The grass is Bermuda, so it’s kinda different from what we play at home.”
Garrick also acknowledged the challenge of the course as much as the opponents.
“It’s a long golf course, and the greens are big. There’s lot of slopes so the greens will be tricky,
Individually, Garrick focused on course management in preparation for this week, playing tough golf courses and managing shot placements.
“I have been working on my chipping with my short games, and also my putting,” Garrick said.
The team will have Friday to become acquainted with the golf course in the practice round, which allows all the teams to compete on the golf course at once.
But the Bruins have already gotten a cursory glance of what the course looks like.
Earlier this week, UCLA arrived in Bradenton, Fla., to watch and cheer for the UCLA women’s golf team compete on the same course. So with the practice round, the team will gauge the golf course, by studying and adapting to an environment they’ve already seen.
“You get time to work on the greens, and chip and putt,” said coach Derek Freeman.
While UCLA may be new to the course in Bradenton, the Bruins are no stranger to the NCAA championship. This weekend will mark the 13th straight year that the Bruins have competed in the NCAA championships.
Last year, the team was able to punch its ticket to match play round, but it was stopped short of a title in the match play quarterfinals against Louisiana State University. However, it was a minor upset for the Bruins to even make it to match play in 2014.
“You never know under tournament conditions, as to what needs to happen, but I feel good about our preparation and we’ve done everything we could do,” Freeman said. “So now it’s just a matter of execution.”
The Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the final three days of the championships, starting on June 1 from 4-7 p.m. EST. It will also cover the match play quarterfinals live on June 2 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EST.