Thursday, 4/24/97 UCLA claws its way to third place in Pac-10
tourney Bruins struggle to come back from deficit but stay behind
by a shot
By Chris Umpierre Daily Bruin Contributor In the most
competitive conference in women’s golf, the UCLA women’s golf team
outshot some talented teams to take third place in the Pacific 10
Championships which concluded on Wednesday in Tacoma, Wash. In a
field which featured eight teams who are nationally ranked in the
top 40, No. 11 UCLA finished behind No. 3 Arizona State and
first-place Arizona, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the country.
After a dismal 301 in the first round on Monday placed UCLA in
fifth place and 11 shots off the lead, the Bruins were forced to
fight for the remainder of the tournament to claw out of the huge
hole they had dug for themselves . And fight and claw they did, as
the team shot a 288 in the second round on Tuesday, tying the best
round for the entire tournament. The Bruins continued to slice into
Arizona’s lead in Wednesday’s third round as the team shot a 294,
which was the second-best score for the third round of play. But
the deficit from Monday proved to be insurmountable as the Arizona
Wildcats, led by the No. 1 player in the country, Marisa Baena,
would not easily relinquish their lead and went on to win the
tournament. The Bruins’ two-day surge in the final two rounds of
the tournament placed them behind second-place Arizona State by
just a single shot. The Bruins’ comeback was made possible by the
play of senior Eunice Choi. Choi shot three 72s on the par- 73 golf
course to take home third place in the individual standings. Choi’s
performance in the conference championships earned her a honorable
mention on the Pac-10 All-Conference team, which was voted on by
the Pac-10 coaches during the tournament. UCLA’s Sophie Sandolo,
who is currently ranked No. 7 in the country, was placed on the
second team. Amandine Vincent, who has been playing her best golf
of late, joined her teammate on the All-Conference second team. The
trio of All-Conference selections and the rest of the Bruins will
next travel to Arizona, as the team will take part in the NCAA West
Regional May 8-10. UCLA will hope to finish in the top 10 to
qualify for the NCAA Championships which will tee off in late
May.