Men’s golf to gain experience with individual tournament in Arizona

Three hundred and seventy-two miles can pass in the blink of an eye – of course, there are a few crucial ingredients: good music, good snacks and good company.

But Tuesday night, when this foursome of UCLA athletes are L.A.-bound on Interstate 10, there will be a final item they need: a good score.

“The man with the high score usually sits in the back on the way home,” said freshman Reilly McMahon.

Today and Tuesday, McMahon, along with freshmen Lorens Chan and Aaron Kunitomo and sophomore Matt Pinizzotto will represent the second-ranked UCLA men’s golf team at the Snowman Getaway in Goodyear, Ariz.

It’s unusual to hear an athlete admit they will be playing for themselves, but in this case it’s the correct response. This week’s individual tournament pits the four Bruins not only against golfers from other universities, but against themselves.

“These are extremely important tournaments. These guys know that if they want an opportunity to play in the next event they have to play really well here. Everything for the rest of their golfing lives is going to be based on competition and how they play in competition,” said coach Derek Freeman.

Though these individual events are not played by members of the current five-man traveling squad, they present a rare chance to compete for a place in the starting lineup.

“I’m excited about having the opportunity to play in an individual event. Sometimes you can view it as a negative thing because you’re not on the traveling team, but I’m looking at it as a good thing, as an opportunity to succeed and play well,” Pinizzotto said.

Last October, senior Pontus Widegren, a player usually entrenched in the starting lineup, found himself off the traveling team for the team’s first three tournaments.

However, a first-place finish at the CSU San Marcos Fall Classic played a big role in Widegren’s reinsertion as a starter.

“That was huge, exactly what we needed to happen. Pontus did not play well at the beginning of the season and wasn’t happy about not being in our starting five. But then he goes out and wins that event and continues to play well in Cypress Point, CordeValle and Hawaii. That can kick-start a career,” Freeman said.

For Pinizzotto and Chan, who have both played on the traveling team this season, a dominant performance could have a similar effect.

For Kunitomo and McMahon, two freshmen who have yet to play in a team event at UCLA, these two days could determine how much longer they spend driving, rather than flying, to tournaments.

“I was struggling earlier in the year with the transition, with my swing, but everything feels like it’s coming into place. I’m just excited to compete in another tournament and put up some good results. The ultimate goal for me is to be playing on the traveling team,” McMahon said.