One may be the loneliest number, but UCLA men’s golf team
coach O.D. Vincent doesn’t seem to mind sitting alone atop
the collegiate rankings.
For the first time since 1981, the Bruins will enter a
tournament as the No. 1 ranked team in the country, according to
GolfWorld Magazine’s rankings. The team’s first
chance to defend that No. 1 ranking begins today as it competes in
the MacKenzie Invitational, held at the Meadow Club in Fairfield,
Calif.
“Our goal has always been to be the unanimous No. 1, and
if we win this week, that will do a lot to get us closer to that
goal,” Vincent said.
The Bruins are looking to rebound from a disappointing third
place finish in the Husky Invitational, hosted by the University of
Washington at the Gold Mountain Olympic Club Sept.
29-30. Though his players struggled in that tournament,
Vincent sees the MacKenzie Invitational as a great opportunity for
players to shoot some low numbers.
“We’re looking forward to shooting some scores in
the 60s.” Vincent said. “The Meadow Course
isn’t as long as the other courses we’ve played so
far. You can make a lot of birdies on this course, but you
have to think your way around it.”
Making the trip to Fairfield will be the same lineup that
competed in the NCAA Championships this past June, the senior fab
four of Steve Conway, Travis Johnson, John Merrick and Roy Moon,
along with emerging junior John Poucher.
Moon, who did not compete in the Husky Invitational, will be in
the starting lineup for the bulk of the season, barring any
irregularities.
According to Vincent, the change in strategy from trying to give
all his players collegiate tournament experience to sticking with a
consistent lineup came as a result of the team’s finish in
Washington.
Instead of having only five players competing at one time,
Vincent is entering all of his players in local tournaments around
the Los Angeles area to enrich them with invaluable tournament
experience.
As far as the Husky Invitational is concerned, Vincent believes
his team learned important lessons in defeat and will come out
stronger in the end.
“I think they were embarrassed,” Vincent
said. “The players didn’t respect the field like
they should have, and they won’t make that mistake
again.”