After a disappointing sixth-place finish in last week’s
Regional Challenge at the Palos Verdes Golf Club, the No. 2 UCLA
women’s golf team knew it needed to raise its caliber of play
this week.
Not only were three of the top five teams in the nation
participating, but the Bruins’ traditional rival Duke was
also present at the Wildcat Invitational.
Those factors, however, were not enough for the Bruins to
overcome their losing streak, as they tied California for a
third-place finish, 13 strokes behind second-place Duke.
Arizona State was the eventual winner of the tournament at
12-under par. Tuesday’s tournament was the second consecutive
disappointing performance for the Bruins in their spring
season.
Freshman Tiffany Joh led the team to a third-place finish with
performances of 69, 72 and 68. Senior Susie Mathews placed second
for the Bruins by finishing the competition 1-over par. The rest of
the team was close behind Joh and Mathews ““ the worst Bruin
score was only 3-over par.
The team’s consistency was a sigh of relief after last
week’s shaky play. Nonetheless, the start of the season has
been troubling.
“We started the year the same way we started this quarter
““ sketchy,” coach Carrie Forsyth said.
Forsyth looks to improve before next week’s Lorena Ochoa
Invitational in Mexico.
Certain areas needing improvement are the putting and short
game, which have been problems since the beginning of the year.
For a team that has been no stranger to winning, it is simply a
matter of time, Forsyth said, before the players find their rhythm
for this season.
“We took home the NCAA title in 2004 and can do it
again,” Forsyth said. “Although the loss of Hannah
(Jun) has hurt us, by the end of the season, we will play a lot
better.”
With a few games still on their schedule, the team is looking to
be better, if only they can stay consistent.