Bruins finish 11th in Arizona Invitational

  COURTNEY STEWART

Melissa Martin focuses as she takes a shot
during the TRW Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes earlier this
month.

By Michelle Coppolella
Daily Bruin Contributor

Led by the strong performances of freshmen Melissa Martin and
Gina Umeck, the UCLA women’s golf team finished at 11th place
in the Arizona Wildcat Invitational Wednesday with a 54-hole total
of 917.

UCLA’s top performance came from Umeck, who tied for 22nd
place at 226. Despite being UCLA’s leader, Umeck feels that
she has yet to realize her potential.

“I don’t think I played up to my full
potential,” she said. “It was a tough course, though,
and we all could have done better.”

Martin followed by capturing 26th place with a final score of
228. Rounding out the Bruins performance was senior Laura Moffat,
who tied for 37th with a 230, sophomore Vivan Phosomran, who tied
for 65th with a 238, and senior co-captain Leilani Bagby, who tied
for 62nd with a 237.

Quality play in first round action from Umeck and Martin, who
were both tied for 35th place with a score of 77, placed the Bruins
in 10th place, only five shots out of sixth after the first
day.

Despite improved performances from seniors Bagby and Moffat, the
strong play of New Mexico State had UCLA entering the third round
in 12th place with a second round score of 307.

The Bruins finished two shots behind Arizona State and Tulsa in
the third and final round to capture 11th place. UCLA’s third
round score of 299 proved to be its best score of the
tournament.

Finishing strong has been characteristic of the Bruins,
demonstrated by last week’s third round 305 in the Regional
Challenge. The final round surge helped the Bruins jump two spots
to capture 15th place in the tournament but they continue to lack
consistency.

“The timing just isn’t there,” Umeck said of
UCLA’s inconsistent play. “We’ll put together
some good rounds, but they won’t be concurrent. All we really
need to do is put it all together.”

Home course advantage gave No. 2 host Arizona the edge it needed
to fend off No. 1 Duke, as it captured the tournament with a final
score of 875. No. 4 Stanford followed in second place with 883,
while Duke captured third with 888.

The Bruins have three weeks until their next tournament, the
Pioneer Bruin Classic, which will be held in Temecula. Home
advantage will hopefully give UCLA the boost it needs to post
strong scores and finish in the top 10 as they prepare for
difficult Pac-10 competition in 2 months.

“We need to stay focused on little goals that lead up to
our main goal,” said Bagby. “We just need to continue
working hard.”