The UCLA women’s golf team made good distance between it and the rest of the competition.
At the Bruin Wave Invitational, co-hosted with Pepperdine University, the No. 5 Bruins won with a team score of +4, 14 strokes under second-placed Arizona State, and 20-strokes under third-placed Cal. The team had the lead after the first day and never surrendered it during the last round of play.
Even with a lead of 14 strokes, the Bruins found some drama with each other on the course. Junior Bronte Law and senior Louise Ridderström went to a playoff in the final round to determine a winner for individual play. The playoff went two holes. It was Ridderström who won the tournament with the help of a clutch chip shot on the green out of a sand bunker.
Ridderström was initially five shots back from the leader, fellow Bruin Lilia Vu, at the beginning of play Monday. After making a birdie on her first hole of the final round, Ridderström continued to make birdies on holes 10, 11 and 14. After sinking a 15-foot putt on the last hole, she retired with a 67 for the round, the best in the tournament.
Bronte started Monday with a birdie as well on the opening hole. Her streak continued on holes 9-11, where she made three straight birdies. After bogeying on holes 13 and 17, she ended the round tied with Ridderström, forcing a playoff.
Freshman Lilia Vu posted her best finish of her career, tying for fifth-place with a +1 score, birdying the holes 7 and 11. Freshman Bethany Wu also posted a respectable +9 score, good for eighteenth in the field.
Up next on the Bruin’s schedule is San Diego State’s March Mayhem Tournament, March 21-23, at The Farms Course in Rancho Santa Fe, California.