Tuesday, 4/22/97 The French connection French transfer
rejuvenates flagging team; national championship possibly in
future
By Chris Umpierre Daily Bruin Contributor Whether it was fate or
just a chance meeting that brought Sophie Sandolo to UCLA, the
women’s golf team has definitely benefited from Sandolo’s January
arrival. Because of this acquisition, the Bruins are now in
position to capture the second women’s golf national championship
in school history. Before Sandolo flew across the Atlantic Ocean to
attend UCLA, the Bruins were suffering through a streak of dismal
12th-place finishes. Still there was hope for the Bruins. With two
All-Americans returning from last year’s team, UCLA was one golfer
away from being a national-championship contender. The new year
brought bright hopes for UCLA. As fate would have it, two Bruins,
Amandine Vincent and Alexandra Glasser, ran into Sandolo during the
Golf World Invitationals last November. Once Head Coach Jackie
Steinmann learned of Sandolo’s interest in transferring to the
states from the Italian golf team she played on, some phone calls
were made. In January the French product would proudly be suited up
in Bruin gear for the beginning of the Winter Quarter. "I don’t
think (the team) would be quite as good (if Sophie hadn’t
transferred), because Sophie has made a big difference," Steinmann
said. "She gave the team hope that we could actually contend this
year. Since Sophie has been here, the team has stepped up. We were
kind of weak in the fifth spot (on the traveling team) and so when
she came in, it made a big difference. So the rest of (the players)
stepped up too." Sophie has not only filled the fifth spot void;
she has done it with flying colors. Fresh off the plane ride from
France, the sophomore contributed immediately to the team. She led
the team in each of her first three tournaments, out-shooting many
competitive players along the way. Sandolo accumulated three
top-four performances in her first three collegiate tournaments.
Coincidentally, the team garnered three top-three finishes in those
competitions. Because of the 20-year-old phenom’s play, UCLA has
skyrocketed in the national rankings to No. 12, while Sandolo is
currently seventh in the national player rankings. But according to
Sandolo, UCLA and the rest of the country haven’t seen her best
golf yet. "I’ve never played my best golf since I came here,"
Sandolo said. "I’ve always tried to do my best but it wasn’t my
best golf. If I can manage to just find the right week to play good
in a tournament …" It’s this drive for perfection that will
continue to push Sandolo throughout her years at UCLA. "I’m a
perfectionist," Sandolo said. "I love perfection and in this sport
it doesn’t exist, so I sometimes kind of have some problems."
Because she started to swing golf clubs later than most golfers,
when she was 13 years old, Sandolo has had to put in some extra
effort to bring her game up to par of her more tenured competitors.
"Sophie is a very hard worker," Steinmann said. "She loves golf.
She’d rather play golf than do anything else. She’s constantly on
the golf course, without a doubt, much more than anybody else on
the team." For Steinmann, Sandolo conjures up memories of former
Bruin Lisa Kiggens, who also made a big splash in the college golf
world. As a freshman in 1991, Kiggens was ranked in the top 10
while leading the team to a national championship. Kiggens turned
pro after the 1991 college season, and is still active on the pro
circuit. Sophie’s play of late has lead her to thinking about a
professional career in golf. "I’m just going to try (to become a
pro golfer)," Sandolo said. "I don’t have any real expectations; I
just want to try and see how it is." Steinmann, who has coached 23
future pros in her 20 years at UCLA, believes Sophie potentially
has the stuff to turn pro in the coming years. "I think she has
that possibility of turning pro," Steinmann said. "That’s what she
wants to do in her life and her actions and behaviors show that
that’s what she wants." Of course, Steinmann also hopes Sandolo
will stay around long enough to help lead the Bruins to a national
championship. SHAWN LAKSMI/Daily Bruin Since transferring to UCLA
from France, Sophie Sandolo’s play has turned the women’s golf team
around. "I’ve never played my best golf since I came here," Sophie
Sandolo UCLA golfer