Women’s golf secures third straight top-three finish at Stanford Intercollegiate
Junior Emma Spitz led UCLA women’s golf alongside freshman Zoe Campos at the Stanford Intercollegiate with a 1-under-par as the Bruins picked up their third consecutive top-three finish. (Courtesy of Alicia Um-Holmes/UCLA Athletics)
By Austin Tran
Oct. 23, 2021 4:15 p.m.
This post was updated Oct. 25 at 12:17 p.m.
The Bruins shot their lowest score all season but did not come away with a win.
UCLA women’s golf finished with a score of 1-under par over three rounds at the Stanford Intercollegiate in Stanford on Oct. 15 through Oct. 17. The Bruins ended in third place, their third straight top-three finish this season.
Coach Carrie Forsyth said while the team had its best performance of the season, it dug itself in a hole in the first round.
“We did quite well overall,” Forsyth said. “We still left some shots out there. We could’ve played a little better, especially that first round. … The final two rounds we played well, it was just a bad start.”
Forsyth attributed the team’s performance on the first day to the 7:30 a.m. tee time. She added that since the Bruins started on the back nine, they had to begin their tournament with the hardest holes on the golf course.
Despite the team’s initial performance, Forsyth said junior Emma Spitz and freshman Zoe Campos, who both shot back-to-back under-par rounds in rounds two and three, played particularly well. Spitz shot a 4-under-67 to close out the tournament.
Spitz and Campos led UCLA in the tournament, with each carding a 1-under par overall, good for a tie for 15th place.
Spitz said while the first day didn’t go the way she liked, she felt good going into the second and third rounds.
“I feel like the first day I was playing fine, but I just couldn’t get it going and I wouldn’t make any putts and I made two unnecessary mistakes,” Spitz said. “On the second and third rounds, it felt very different from the last tournaments I played. It felt very much like I wanted to feel. I felt more in control of my game.”
Campos said her 4-over-par first round motivated her to play better in the ensuing rounds, adding that her improvement in the later rounds was largely because of better putting.
“I felt pretty good – not my best, I can always do better,” Campos said. “From previous tournaments, it feels a lot better than before.”
Following Spitz and Campos were redshirt freshman Alessia Nobilio and redshirt sophomore Ty Akabane. Nobilio found herself in third place after day two before carding a 10-over 81 in the final round. Both Nobilio and Akabane ended up at a total of 5-over par, good for 30th place.
Closing out the lineup was senior Simar Singh, who finished at a total of 13-over par, finishing in a tie for 59th place.
Forsyth said the Bruins’ short games need to improve to take them to the next level.
“In general, our short games need to be better,” Forsyth said. “For some of them, it’s their wedge game, their pitching. For some, it’s right around the green, chipping. Some of them are streaky putters.”
The team will next compete at the Nanea Pac-12 Preview at the Nanea Golf Club in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, starting Nov. 1, which will be the Bruins’ last event before the team returns in January.
