Amid all the double-bogeys, hooked shots and three-putts, it was
hard to find too many bright spots worth looking at.
As UCLA men’s golf lumbered its way to a mediocre
seventh-place finish, the Bruin golfers were left with the
consolation of two freshmen whose best NCAA Championships could
still be ahead of them.
Freshman Erik Flores tied for 27th place overall with his 289
(+1) over the four-round tournament in Sunriver, Ore., while
freshman James Lee finished one shot behind him with a 290 (+2),
landing him in 32nd place.
Flores and Lee posted the lowest scores for the No. 5 Bruins,
who tied with Clemson for seventh place in the NCAA
Championships.
Oklahoma State’s Jonathan Moore won the individual title
by firing a 69 (-3) in the final round to finish at 276 (-12).
For Flores, it was a familiar feeling. He has led UCLA all year
long despite having just finished his first year of Division I
competition.
“Erik achieved a lot of things this year,” said
sophomore Daniel Im, who tied for 57th place with a four-day total
of 296 (+8). “He’s a great player and a great teammate.
I hope everybody can step it up so we can have five leaders like
him next year.”
Flores, the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, led the team with a
scoring average of 72.1 and finished the season as the No. 13
player in the country.
His consistency was on display last week. He played the first
two rounds at 1-under for a 143, but struggled in the third round,
shooting a 77 (+5).
On the last day of his first national championship, he offered a
glimpse of what many were predicting with a 69 (-3) in the final
round.
Although it was only one round that stood between him and a
top-10 finish, Flores could not help but think of what might have
been.
“I was disappointed with my performance on the third
day,” Flores said. “I was 1-under, and then I played
the last six holes at 6-over. Six shots is huge. I just
didn’t do what I should have done.”
Lee, on the other hand, found himself in a brand-new role. After
struggling during the regular season, UCLA coach O.D. Vincent left
him out of the lineup during the NCAA East Regionals, electing to
use freshman Lucas Lee.
Lucas Lee, however, struggled at regionals and after carding a
three-day total of 230 (+14), Vincent opted for James Lee in the
championships.
James Lee was generally regarded as UCLA’s wild card
heading into the tournament, as he had only posted two top-10
finishes all season and had competed in only nine of the
team’s 18 tournaments.
James Lee responded to the challenge. He carded a 71 (-1) in the
first round, a 75 (+3) in the second and a 72 (E) in the final two
rounds.
“I never really thought about (the roster change)
much,” James Lee said. “Whoever plays, plays. I try to
prepare every day as if I was going to play. It just happened that
I got fortunate to participate in the national
championships.”