Resilience has been the theme all year for UCLA women’s golf.
The Bruins struggled at the Pac-12 championship but bounced back this week, finishing second at the NCAA San Antonio Regional with an overall score of 19-under par.
The women placed behind Baylor, which won the tournament with a score of 22-under par.
A weather delay in the second round stunted the Bruins’ momentum, but UCLA willed itself to continue.
Through the first nine holes in the second round the women were two-under par. In the back nine after the delay, they stayed put at two-under par and entered the last round at fourth place.
Still, the Bruins collected themselves and showcased a much-improved performance from the second day by finishing seven-under par as a team on the last day.
Sophomore Bronte Law and freshman Lydia Choi led the way for the team.
Law continued her strong season, individually finishing the tournament in second place with a score of 11-under par.
“For me it was a good tournament again and I just played solid all week,” Law said. “But I’m really proud of everyone on the team because you have to come to regionals wanting to win, so the fact that we all played well shows that we have a lot mental strength.”
While Law’s performance seemed routine, Choi’s came as pleasant surprise for UCLA as she finished the event in fifth place with a six-under par.
Prior to the regional, Choi had amassed only three top-20 finishes and three rounds under par this whole season.
This week, she recorded her first career top-10 finish at UCLA and completed two rounds under par, nearly doubling her season total.
“I’ve been battling with my swing all year but I came into this week with a lot of confidence,” Choi said. “I was proud of myself as I hung in there and battled all of my obstacles throughout the year.”
Senior Erynne Lee concluded the event finishing tied for 17th with a score of one-under par.
Lee achieved her eighth top-20 finish and notched two more rounds under par bringing her season total up to 13.
Junior Louise Ridderstrom tied for 26th and ended the tournament with a one-over par.
Freshman Erin Choi tied for 54th and finished with a six-over par.
With a top-six finish at the regional, the Bruins will conclude their season competing at the NCAA championship.
“The next event will feature a totally different golf course, it’ll have a totally different feel to it, so you’ve got to go in playing your best golf and I think we’re doing that,” said coach Carrie Forsyth. “I felt like the girls played with a lot of composure this week, and moving forward to nationals we just have to make sure we feel good about our game in order to perform well.”