This year the No. 1 UCLA women’s golf team is part of the “Big Four.” This elite group includes the Bruins, three-time defending NCAA champion Duke, legendary Arizona State and crosstown rival USC.
Each of these teams has the potential to win any tournament, and so far this season, the Bruins have been at the head of the pack.
Skeptics are everywhere, however.
This weekend, the Bruins will go head-to-head against these three teams, in addition to 14 others, at the Stanford/Pepsi Invitational at Stanford Golf Course.
“Stanford would be a good opportunity for us to prove ourselves against top teams out there and to prove that we really belong in the spot we’re in right now,” junior Tiffany Joh said.
Stanford has one of the toughest courses, and the Bruins have had little success at this tournament in recent history. Therefore, the team is approaching the course very cautiously.
“It’s one of those courses where you have to be sharp on every aspect of your game,” Joh said.
“So I think while winning would be great … any type of solid performance to make up for the last two years would be great.”
While the Bruins are aware that the Stanford tournament is not going to be easy, they are confident about their ability to play well.
The girls have been concentrating on mastering every aspect of their game. Joh, an already-outstanding player, has spent most of her time perfecting her short game in hopes of converting birdies more often.
In addition to making an outstanding start to her collegiate career, U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Maria Jose Uribe has put serious effort toward her mental game and reading the greens.
“I think that if they can go on the tournament and see that what they’ve been working on has improved, their scores should be much lower,” assistant coach Alicia Um said.
Though the Bruins spend a lot of time and energy preparing for every team they face, they also know how to enjoy their time with opponents.
Joh, who will be paired with Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst to represent the U.S. next week at the Spirit International Amateur Championship, confesses that she and Blumenherst have been good friends for years.
That is not to say that these Bruins are not especially confident.
“What I say is that we are superior to them.” Uribe said. “Inferior people will hate the superior, but the superiors, we don’t care.”
Despite their history of struggles at the course, the Bruins are determined to win the tournament at Stanford. And they believe they have the talent to do so.
“It’s really just about playing our best and … making a statement that we actually are the best team,” coach Carrie Forsyth said. “We deserve to be ranked No. 1.”