Team currently places second at tournament
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 23, 2002 9:00 p.m.
By Michelle Coppolella
Daily Bruin Reporter
Posting the best score of the day at 299, the No. 16 UCLA
women’s golf team leaped into second place after 36 rounds of
golf Tuesday in the Pac-10 Championships at Walla Walla, Wash.
“We had a good solid day of golf in pretty tough
conditions,” head coach Carrie Leary said. “We just did
our thing and the other teams previously ahead of us struggled. We
simply played strong golf.”
With a 36-hole total of 600, the Bruins trail first place
Arizona by three shots and are currently five shots ahead of third
place USC. Arizona State has captured fourth place at 606, and Cal
is currently in fifth place at 607.
Bruin freshman Yvonne Choe has stunned the Pac-10 Championships
as the current individual tournament leader for the second day in a
row, posting an impressive even par round of 72 for a two day total
of 143.
“I’m really nervous but excited to be in the number
one position right now,” Choe said.
“I’m just playing one shot at a time and not letting
different emotions distract me, she added. “I’m playing
my own game.”
No. 1 Lorena Ochoa of Arizona and USC’s Mikaela Parmlid
currently trail Choe by two shots.
When asked about leading the number one player in the nation by
two strokes, Choe modestly responded that if anything she hopes to
learn from Ochoa and the experience of commanding the lead in a
major collegiate tournament.
“This is the first time I’ve ever played with
(Ochoa),” Choe said.
“More than anything, I want to see what being No. 1 is all
about, and in the end maybe I can learn something from her,”
she continued. “I think it’s an incredible
opportunity.”
In other Bruin scores, sophomore Melissa Martin is tied for 12th
at 152 after posting a three-over par score of 75, freshman
Charlotte Mayorkas is tied for 13th at 153, senior captain Alicia
Um is tied for 22nd at 155, and sophomore Gina Umeck is tied for
26th at 156.
With one more day of golf remaining in the tournament, the
Bruins are confidently looking to finish strong in the
tournament.
“We obviously are going in with the mentality of winning
the tournament,” Leary said.
“But in golf you can’t control what your competitor
is doing, so all we can do is play our best game,” she added.
“We just need to stay focused and the tournament is within
our reach.”
