Men’s golf places 6th at Pac-12 championships, fails to advance to NCAA tournament

The Bruins fell short of advancing to the NCAA tournament.

UCLA men’s golf finished in sixth place at the Pac-12 championships in Sammamish, Washington, held from Monday to Wednesday. The Bruins were tied for fourth place during the first round of play but dropped to fifth following the second round before falling another place after the fourth and final round. The championship round prevented the Bruins from automatically advancing to the NCAA tournament, likely marking the end of the blue and gold’s season.

The first two rounds took place Monday. Despite the rain in the Pacific Northwest – which played a major role according to freshman Pablo Ereño Perez – UCLA shot its best scores on the opening day.

“It was rainy, cold weather,” Ereño Perez said. “It would rain on and off the whole time, and it was uncomfortable. I realized on days like that, you have to be patient and accept the weather will affect your game.”

Ereño Perez added that he was disappointed with his performance on the third day. Adding nine strokes to his score, the freshman Spaniard fell from the top three to 14th place. Ereño Perez would improve his score by six strokes in the final round for a 3-over 287 to finish in a tie for 18th place.

Coach Derek Freeman said the course’s weather conditions were not UCLA’s only challenge.

“We haven’t played that well as a group the entire year,” Freeman said. “We had different individuals play well but nothing as a group. We knew we were coming into a place that would be difficult – the team’s depth would get exposed, and we knew it would be hard.”

Graduate student Eddy Lai said the postseason proved to be a sizable transition from the Bruins’ last tournament at the El Macero Classic – where they finished in fifth place. Lai added that the course was flat, and play was limited to 18 holes per day.

“The course was hilly – it was a bit of work,” Lai said. “The first three rounds, the weather was the toughest – it was a mental challenge of staying focused.”

After the fourth round, Lai fell from the top 19 to being tied for 38th place with a 10-over 294 performance. Freshman Omar Morales passed Lai by recording a 6-over 290 to tie for 24th.

“The last round, I wanted to give one final push because the first three rounds I was consistent,” Lai said. “I didn’t get the most of my results.”

Freshman Evan Chien advanced one place from the third round to finish with a 10-over 294. Following Chien was redshirt sophomore Alvaro Muller, who carded a 12-over 296 to place him at 49th.

Junior Mason Greene played his best round in round three but added eight stokes to his final score on the final day to card a 20-over 304 for 64th place.

Despite the end result, Freeman – who is retiring at the campaign’s end – said UCLA came together as a team and became better players this season.

“It is challenging for us when players are not quite ready to be on that stage – their skill set is not quite there,” Freeman said. “It hurts you in the short term, but I think what they learn and gain in the long term is important for their growth and growth of the program.”

Lai added that the team’s underclassmen gained valuable exposure to tournament golf during the week and said he thinks the team is in an excellent position for next year.

“Even though we didn’t advance – I feel everything at this stage is to help us grow and learn,” Lai said. “It will be a lot better next year.”