Women’s golf sweeps Pac-12 championship with fourth victory of season
The Bruins won their sixth Pac-12 title and first in 11 years Wednesday, when they swept the competition by 21 strokes. Sophomore Lilia Vu took first overall, her fourth consecutive tournament win. (Courtesy of James S. Wood)
By David Gottlieb
April 27, 2017 1:33 a.m.
UCLA women’s golf blew away the competition at the Pac-12 championship this week.
“The conditions were so difficult, the winds were blowing up to 30-35 miles per hour,” said coach Carrie Forsyth. “They just kept their composure and played steady and smart, and they were impressive.”
At the end of the final round Wednesday, the No. 1 Bruins took the conference crown by 21 strokes.
Lilia Vu finished first overall with a 7-under-par 209, her fourth straight tournament victory. The sophomore is now the first golfer in the history of the program to win four consecutive tournaments.
“She’s a really good putter. She makes a lot of longer putts. … Her ball striking of late has been as good as I’ve ever seen,” Forsyth said. “Those two things are just so strong right now.”
Freshman Mariel Galdiano earned the second-best individual score, stroking a 1-under 215. The pair of Vu and Galdiano were the only competitors who finished under par.
Similarly, the Bruins were the only team to finish under par, scoring a 2-under 862. Other ranked Pac-12 ranked teams who competed include No. 4 Arizona State, No. 3 Stanford and No. 10 USC – who finished sixth, third and fifth at the Pac-12, respectively.
“We might pass Stanford in Golfweek (rankings), but I don’t think we can pass them in the golf stats head-to-head. They still have more head-to-head wins against us,” Forsyth said. “I’m not sure what our record is against ASU. We might pass ASU and move into the No. 2 spot.”
UCLA will get a week off before the start of NCAA regionals May 8. The Bruins will find out whether they’re headed to Ohio, Texas, Georgia or New Mexico when the Golf Channel airs the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships at 8 a.m. this Thursday.
Forsyth said she thinks her team will probably be a No. 1 seed, but not in the West region.
