The celebrated Arizona golf teams did not let their guard down in their home state during the first day at the Wildcat Invitational in Tucson at the Arizona National Golf Course.
Third-ranked Arizona State finished in the top spot on Monday, shooting 3-over par with a score of 287.
Finishing behind the Sun Devils were four teams tied for second place, including No. 1 UCLA.
UCLA, along with Duke, Arizona and a surprising Oklahoma State, finished with a score of 288, 4-over par.
On the individual scoreboard, the Bruins had two low scores in their favor, with junior Tiffany Joh and freshman Glory Yang finishing the day tied for third place with 1-under par 70.
Yang gave her best performance two weeks ago in Palos Verdes and showed no signs of slowing down on Monday.
She fired three bogies but erased them with four birdies, giving the Bruins a much-needed low score.
Prior to the tournament, coach Carrie Forsyth boasted about Yang’s ability to perform with confidence once she is on the course.
“She is a really good putter, and that is really important,” Forsyth said.
The short game has always been the Bruins’ main weakness.
But Yang is looking to turn this trend around. She has been practicing hard on each aspect of her game, and her scores demonstrate improvement.
One Bruin who has not had too many problems with hitting low marks has always been Joh.
As usual, the All-American was ready to compete on Monday, hitting four birdies and three bogies.
The play of Yang and Joh was key to the Bruins holding on to a share of second place on the scoreboard in a competitive tournament field.
Twelve of the top 25 teams in the nation are present, along with 11 of the country’s 12 best women golfers.
The level of competition in the tournament is crucial in determining who the best teams in collegiate golf are.
Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst, no stranger to winning tournaments, finished Monday in first place. She had an eagle, five birdies and four bogies, finishing the day with a 3-under par 68, followed by Stanford’s Mari Chun, who fired 2-under par.
“It’s always fun to play against (Duke) and have that challenge with Amanda,” Forsyth said.
The seventh-ranked UCLA freshman Maria Jose Uribe had a disappointing start to the tournament, finishing the first day tied for 73rd place with a 9-over par with two double bogies and four bogies.
Sophomore Sydnee Michaels finished with the third best individual score for the Bruins.
At the end of Monday, Michaels was tied for 19th place along with 10 other golfers. Michaels shot a 73, 2-over par.
From Monday’s results, it is clear the tournament will continue to be very competitive and incredibly close.
Today, the players will tee up with six people tied for third place, five people tied for ninth, and five for 14th.
The tournament wraps up on Wednesday.
MEN IN BAKERSFIELD: The men’s blue team began the Cal State Bakersfield Spring Invitational at Seven Oaks Country Club in Bakersfield, Calif. Monday.
Seven players made the trip to compete with the blue team, the Bruins second-tier squad. Those players are seniors Brandon Christianson and Craig Leslie, juniors Lucas Lee, Erik Flores and James Lee, sophomore Ben Choe and freshman Connor Driscoll.
Scores were not available Monday night. The 54-hole event will conclude today.