When battling strong winds and soft greens, subpar scores become difficult to come by and even the best golfers can be thrown off their game.
The NCAA women’s golf championship proved exactly that as testing conditions led to near-impossible-to-judge shots and an uncharacteristically high shot count in Tulsa, Okla.
The No. 2 UCLA women’s golf team was able to fight back from a testing first two days of competition to claim third place at the Tulsa Country Club, carding a 72-hole total of 1,145 (+25).
UCLA trailed national championship winner No. 3 Duke by 15 shots and was 13 shots behind local rival No. 1 USC, who claimed second place.
Sophomore Louise Ridderstrom led the Bruins as she claimed a share of seventh place individually at 282 (+2).
As conditions improved, the scorecards began to look far more favorable with freshmen Alison Lee and Bronte Law as well as senior Ani Gulugian all carding their lowest rounds on the final day of competition.
Lee posted a 67 (-3), leaving her with a share of 38th at 290 (+10) and helping the Bruins achieve a team-low 18-hole score of 278 (-2) in the process.
Law struck a 71 (+1) and Gulugian a 70 (E), earning them both 50th place finishes at 293 (+13).
The other UCLA starter, junior Erynne Lee, ended the championship with a share of 43rd at 291 (+11).
Compiled by Doug Gadsby, Bruin Sports contributor.