The No. 2 UCLA women’s golf team struggled in the third round of the NCAA Championships, falling from first to third behind defending champion USC and top-ranked Arizona State.
The Bruins failed to take advantage of a seven-stroke lead going into Thursday’s round, shooting 304 (+16). The No. 3 Trojans, who currently total 889 (+25) in the tournament, capitalized on the Bruins’ collapse, registering 291 (+3) in the third round. The second-place Sun Devils are only two strokes behind USC after recording 891 (+3) on the day.
All is not lost, however, because UCLA is only two strokes behind ASU and four behind USC. The squad holds a 13-stroke advantage over fourth-place No. 10 North Carolina, which now totals 906 (+42) in the tournament. First-round leader No. 14 Denver rounds out top five and remains only one stroke behind the Tar Heels.
The Bruins struggled, but this time, there was no one to bail them out. Sophomore Maria Jose Uribe, who skyrocketed to the top of the individual leaderboard Wednesday after firing a 66 (-6) in the second round, fell to a second-place tie with Purdue’s Maria Hernandez after shooting 77 (+5) in the third round. Uribe is two strokes behind USC’s Jennifer Song, who registered an even-par 216 in the tournament.
Nobody on UCLA shot below par during Thursday’s third round.
Freshman Stephanie Kono had the Bruins’ best score of the day with 74 (+2), tying for 15th in the tournament with 223 (+7). Tied for 28th, senior Tiffany Joh shot 76 (+4) in round three and has 226 (+10) in the tournament. Junior Sydnee Michaels saw a rise in individual rankings from tying for 88th to tying for 41st despite shooting 79 (+7) Thursday. Sophomore Glory Yang is also tied at 41st at 229 (+7) in the tournament after posting a 77 (+5) score in the third round.
The NCAA Championships conclude today with its fourth and final round.
Compiled by Rebecca Lee, Bruin Sports reporter.