Men’s golf tackles tourney

Down by three strokes after the first 36 holes at the Chico
State Wells Fargo Invitational, the UCLA men’s golf team was
trying to forget its sluggish start by watching the UCLA-Cal
football game last Saturday.

Watching their football team’s comeback, the golf team
channeled the exploits of Maurice Drew and the UCLA football
team.

“After that, the guys were pretty fired up about the
tournament. There was a lot of school spirit,” assistant
coach Gus Montaño said.

The Bruins, the only Division I team in the 12-team field at the
invitational, charged back over the last 18 holes to win the
tournament by six strokes (2-over par).

Sophomore Craig Leslie finished in second place at 2-under par,
recording his highest tournament finish as a collegian.

“Craig stepped up a little bit this tournament, but for
the most part, we played really well as a team and just fed off of
each other,” Montaño said.

Three other Bruins finished in the top 20. Juniors Peter
Campbell and Chris Heintz tied for fifth, shooting an even par, and
freshman Lucas Lee finished tied for 17th, shooting a 5-over
par.

“It was our first tournament of the season, and we played
very well, Montaño said. “Coach (O.D.) Vincent prepared
the team very well. After playing 36 holes the first day, there was
no fatigue and the scores were fairly consistent from the first 36
holes to the last 18 holes.”

The tournament was a chance for UCLA golf’s Blue team to
gain tournament experience and post better scores in a tournament
atmosphere. The Blue team is made up of the sixth through 10th
ranked golfers on the team, all vying to make the starting top
five.

“We’re an extremely deep team. Any of our golfers
could have gone top-five. We have a very strong freshman class that
is pushing a sophomore class that is pushing its way into the
starting five,” Montaño said.

Despite its relative inexperience and lack of a veteran
presence, the UCLA golf team remains optimistic and hopes to only
improve as the season progresses.

“We’re getting good leadership from our juniors, and
our sophomores are really starting to stand out,”
Montaño said. “The freshmen have plenty of (Junior Golf
Association) experience, so they’re not new to the
competition.”

The Bruins, however, have yet to name their team captain, a
signal that perhaps the makeup of the team is still a work in
progress.

While the coaching staff will closely watch the development of
the team as different personalities start to blend, the ultimate
decision will be left up to the players. How the players respond
will directly influence who will potentially be named captain.

“We’re going to allow the team to identify and
nominate an individual,” Montaño said. “Right now,
they’re all pushing each other with their experience.
We’re not in a hurry to rush things along because things are
working right now.”

With their attention set on steady progress, the Bruins’
next opportunity to improve comes next week when they will play in
the Prestige Tournament on Oct. 17 and 18 at PGA West in La
Quinta.