Bruins have high hopes for Hawaii

  UCLA Sports Information Senior Laura
Moffat and the UCLA women’s golf team head to Hawaii for
their last fall tournament.

By Pauline Vu
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

It’s Hawaii.

That seems to be the main thing on the minds of the No. 16
women’s golf team as they head into today’s Rainbow
Wahine Fall Classic in Oahu, Hawaii.

When asked if there was anything that made this tournament
unique from all the other ones she’s been playing in, UCLA
freshman Gina Umeck responded with a laugh, “Besides the
location? I’ve never been to Hawaii.”

Oh, wait … Umeck did find one other thing.

“We know we’re the best team there.”

Unlike their last two tournaments, which had strong fields with
several ranked teams, the Bruins are the highest ranked team at the
Rainbow Classic and are the clear favorites to win. The only other
ranked teams at the event are No. 17 San Jose State and No. 25 New
Mexico.

Not only that, but they are the tournament’s defending
champions, and one Bruin, senior Laura Moffat, is the defending
medalist.

“It’s tougher competition this year, but I think
this team is a little bit better than last year’s,”
UCLA head coach Carrie Leary said.

Not only that, but for the first time all fall, the Bruins will
bring five golfers who have actually traveled together before.

Consistently, Umeck, Moffat, junior Alicia Um and redshirt
freshman Saki Uechi have been in the top five and have traveled.
But the final spot kept changing players.

But this time, bolstered in the team standings with her
individual championship-clinching performance at last week’s
San Diego State Fall Classic, true freshman Johanna Andersson will
travel to Hawaii with the team. She also made the top five two
weeks ago, when she went with the team to the Edean Ihlanfeldt
Invitational.

“It’s difficult to have a different person every
time,” Moffat said.

The players are feeling strong coming into the event.

Moffat had been dissatisfied with her performances recently, but
after taking extra lessons to work on her swing, she is confident
coming into the Rainbow Classic.

“I feel better about my golf game this week; I feel like I
can actually score lower,” Moffat said.

Each time they’ve finished so far, the women have insisted
that they could have done better.

Because they are the best coming in, they don’t expect to
be dissatisfied this time.

“I think we have a better chance of playing to our
potential this time because we’re not overwhelmed by the
competition,” Umeck said.

The coach noticed this attitude, too.

“They’re excited, upbeat; we’re feeling like
we should win,” Leary said. “We should place well and
win by a good margin.”

The Rainbow Classic will cap a difficult fall golf season before
the season opens again in the spring, and the women hope to go out
with a bang.

Especially since everyone’s calling for them to come out
winners.

“It’s the last one and we’re expected to
win,” Umeck said.

Moffat added, “This is a good way to go out for the fall.
We go out in Hawaii.”