Women’s golf ends fall season with subpar first round, later improvements
Senior Beth Wu was the lone Bruin to finish inside the top 10 at the Nanea Pac-12 Preview in Kohala, Hawaii, this week. Wu shot a 1-under 218 in the tournament and was the only UCLA women’s golfer to finish under par. (Courtesy of UCLA Athletics)
By Justin Auh
Nov. 8, 2018 12:42 a.m.
The Bruins could not overcome a slow start.
No. 3 UCLA women’s golf placed eighth at the Nanea Pac-12 Preview with a score of 14-under 890 this week to conclude its fall season.
The Bruins were one of three teams to shoot a combined total over 300 in the first round, putting them in 10th place out of 12 schools with a score of 9-over at the end of the first day.
UCLA improved its score each round, shooting 3-over in round two and 2-over in round three, despite playing through winds over 10 miles per hour.
“We didn’t play very well in the first round, but I was happier after rounds two and three,” said coach Carrie Forsyth. “The girls played a lot better (even though) there were actually tough winds in the later rounds.”
Three Bruins placed in the top 25, led by senior Beth Wu, who finished tied for 10th at 1-under.
In round one, Wu scored a bogey-free 3-under 70, pulling within three strokes of the lead. After a 2-over 75 in round two, Wu scored even par in the final round to clinch her first top-10 finish of the season.
“This week in Hawaii, I was able to consistently have the same swing and execute it better than in past tournaments,” Wu said. “You have to be really patient at Nanea (Golf Club), so I was patient and in control of each shot.”
Forsyth said that assistant coach Alicia Um Holmes helped Wu prepare for the tournament.
“(Um Holmes) was able to get (Wu) thinking about what she was trying to do with swing a little differently,” Forsyth said. “Her swing was not very effective recently, but this time she was consistent with her mental approach, and it made all the difference.”
Junior Mariel Galdiano finished at even par for the tournament, tying for 12th place. After winning her past two fall tournaments, Galdiano was unable to climb up the leaderboard, scoring 2-over in round one and 1-under in the latter two rounds.
“My putting was definitely not too great in the first round,” Galdiano said. “The greens were a little tough, and the rolling putts out here were difficult because there was a lot more break.”
Junior Clare Legaspi rounded out the trio of Bruins in the top 25, finishing tied for 22nd at 2-over.
For the second straight tournament, freshman Phoebe Yue and sophomore Vera Markevich finished in the bottom 10.
After shooting 11-over in the first round, Yue was in second-to-last place. Yue recovered in the latter two rounds, scoring 4-over and 2-over, respectively.
“(Yue) has been working a lot on her swing,” Forsyth said. “The last two days, she was starting to hit the ball better. She got used to the greens and putted stronger.”
Markevich nearly earned the same score in each of the three rounds, finishing 7-over in rounds one and three and 6-over in round two.
“The first day, (Markevich) wasn’t striking the ball very well,” Forsyth said. “Today, she wasn’t putting well, although she hit the ball better. But again, it’s sort of just growing pains.”
UCLA will take a 12-week break from competition before beginning the spring season Feb. 3 at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, California.
