UCLA women’s golf to challenge top teams at PING/ASU Invitational
By Jamison Ball
April 4, 2014 1:45 a.m.
This upcoming weekend in Tempe, Ariz., the UCLA women’s golf team looks to bounce back from the letdown of narrowly relinquishing a lead going into the final round in its last tournament over spring break to crosstown rival and top-ranked USC.
The Bruins will take on 14 other top teams, according to Golfstat, including five other teams ranked in the top-10 with No. 2 UCLA on the 6,223-yard-long ASU home course in the annual invitational co-hosted with PING. However, at this year’s tournament the Bruins will have to get up and down without one of the best clubs in their team’s bag.
“We were disappointed, but we’re learning from that and hopefully it will get us ready for being involved in nationals,” said freshman Alison Lee, who summed up the team’s recent performance, having personally finished in fourth place.
However, the nation’s top-ranked collegiate golfer, according to Golfweek Rankings, was invited to play in the LPGA’s season kickoff tournament, the Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., this weekend – leaving her a little far for a commute to Tempe.
This is not the first time Lee has received this honor, having previously played in the tournament as a junior in high school at only age 17. Her previous experience seems to be benefiting the talented Bruin golfer thus far, as she currently sits at 3-over par, after shooting a respectable first round 75.
“It’s going to be different for us, obviously,” said coach Carrie Forsyth. “She’s our top-ranked player and not having her here is a challenge. But I think it’s really going to be great practice for the girls.”
With Forsyth deciding to plug junior Brittany Mai, a transfer from Northwestern University, into the Bruins’ fifth slot, the coach said playing in a tournament on the team lineup would be a great opportunity for her.
“We’re excited because there’s a lot of good teams out here like Stanford and Washington and ASU,” said junior Erynne Lee.
The Bruins will look to her to set a strong example with her performance on the course this weekend without their other heavy hitter, both of whom were selected to represent the USA in the Curtis Cup, the collegiate version of the PGA’s Ryder Cup. That said, an astounding performance would certainly come as no surprise from Erynne Lee, as she nearly won the event last year as a sophomore, tying for second place.
The Bruins will undoubtedly face a challenge they have yet to come across this season, but such a hurdle could provide an opportunity for growth for the entire team as a whole.
