Men’s golf loses lead at Blessings Collegiate Invitational after early success
Graduate student Devon Bling finished with a team-leading 3-over 219 at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Arkansas. (Jeremy Chen/Daily Bruin staff)
By Lauryn Olina Wang
Oct. 7, 2021 8:20 p.m.
The Bruins went from second place to second-to-last.
At the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Arkansas, UCLA men’s golf placed ninth out of 10 teams after posting a 15-over 879 at the three-day event held from Monday to Wednesday. The Bruins climbed the leaderboard to second place during the second round after strong front nine performances but faltered on the back nine. The blue and gold ultimately finished 33 shots off the lead and 20 shots behind second-place Arizona, the only other Pac-12 school in the tournament.
Graduate student Devon Bling was the lowest-scoring Bruin, punching his ticket in the next starting lineup by finishing in the top 20 with a 3-over 219. Senior Bryan Teoh shot a 5-over 221 to tie for 25th, and graduate student Eddy Lai tied for 27th with a 6-over 222.
Redshirt sophomore Alvaro Mueller-Baumgart Lucena and freshman Pablo Ereño Perez both made their collegiate debuts in the tournament and ended in ties for 32nd and 45th, respectively. Mueller-Baumgart Lucena posted a 7-over 223 and Ereño Perez finished with a 12-over 228.
Unlike the other teams in the field, UCLA began its season in Arkansas and had not competed in any tournaments prior. Coach Derek Freeman said this tournament was a barometer to measure what’s to come.
“It was a good starting point,” Freeman said. “It was great for our guys to get back into action, it was great to be at a really hard golf course, amongst great competition. It was a great challenge for us to really see where we were compared to other good teams who have been playing for a couple weeks.”
Freeman was able to observe his team throughout the week, since all five starters were grouped in the same tee time. Bling said the pairing provided an important support system for the Bruins.
“It was fun being able to play with the whole team in all three rounds,” Bling said. “Usually we don’t play with each other, so it was really nice to have every one of us supporting each other when we hit good shots and picking each other up when we had bad shots.”
Mueller-Baumgart Lucena, whose collegiate start was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said playing with his teammates kept spirits high.
The redshirt sophomore added that the Bruins’ brief second-place stint on day two of the tournament inspired him and created excitement around the team’s expectations for this season.
“It’s a dream come true, and I’ve been waiting a year for this because I had to redshirt last year,” Mueller-Baumgart Lucena said. “We got hot for 12 to 13 holes, and we gained a lot of spots. … If we’re prepared, we’re as good as any other team out there.”
The Bruins will next be put to the test Monday at the Wolf Pack Classic in Reno, Nevada.
