UCLA women’s golf finishes second at Turtle Bay Collegiate

The UCLA women’s golf team teed off in Hawaii on Monday to compete in the inaugural Turtle Bay Resort Collegiate Invitational without its All-American senior Sydnee Michaels. Yet despite the absence of the No. 4 overall player in the nation from their lineup, the Bruins responded in a big way and shot a total score of 887 (+13), good enough for a second-place finish.

After finishing round one in fifth, UCLA climbed the leaderboard over the next two days for the runner-up finish on Wednesday, its fourth consecutive second-place finish since the start of the season.

UC Davis nabbed the title after recording 868 (+4) on the event. USC placed 3rd in the tournament, only two strokes behind the Bruins. California finished fourth with 883 (+19), and Oregon rounded out the Top 5 at 896 (+32).

The Bruins were anchored by a very strong performance from sophomore Stephanie Kono, who finished 4th individually and shot 214 (-2) total for the weekend. Kono’s tournament was highlighted by a stellar second-round, in which she fired 67 (-5), which included no bogeys.

Tying for fifth, freshman Tiffany Lua backed up Kono and shot an even-par 216 for the tournament. Junior All-American Glory Yang represented the Bruins’ most experienced player in the field and finished in 16th place with a total of 222 (+6). Sophomore Brianna Do tied for 24th in the event, shooting 226 (+10).

Filling in for Michaels on the roster was junior Lalita Boonnoppornkul, who made her first start since her freshman year in 2006. Boonnoppornkul responded with a score of 237 (+21) and finished tied for 70th.

Freshman Stacy Kim, who competed individually, played in her first collegiate event and posted 234 (+18) to tie for 58th.

The Bruins’ spring season kicks off with the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at the Palos Verdes Golf Course on Feb. 8.

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