This post was updated Sept. 30 at 12:18 a.m.

It could take years for the shoe to drop.

But for Pablo Ereño, he dropped his with a bang.

The senior and other members of UCLA men’s golf competed at The Tindall, a three-round tournament at Aldarra Golf Club in Sammamish, Washington, on Tuesday. The Bruins scored an 11-under 841 to finish fifth place overall, the highest finish of any Big Ten school at the event. Individually, Ereño tied for first in the competition with 202 points to take home the first win of his collegiate career.

“I think it shows that all the hard work I’ve put in paid off,” Ereño said. “If I keep working hard and practicing and doing the right things, then I can maybe get more of these and hopefully get on tour.”

After starting his final round tied for eighth, Ereño clawed back up in his final 18 holes with a blazing 5-under 66 to push himself to the top of the leaderboard. Utah’s Davis Johnson finished his final round with a 2-under 69, failing to clinch the title outright and guaranteeing Ereño’s co-championship.

Ereño, ranked as the 37th-highest amateur in the world, was provided an opportunity at Tuesday’s tournament. Once the moment finally came, he did not let it slip.

“I just wanted to give myself a chance to get that win over the last few holes,” Ereño said. “And I guess that’s what I did.”

Five other Bruins were present alongside Ereño at the tournament. Senior Omar Morales tied for 11th, whereas sophomores Alex Papayoanou and Luke Powell and junior Kyle An finished tied for 40th, 46th and 58th, respectively. Freshman Baylor Larrabee tied for 49th as an individual competitor in his first event at UCLA.

The Bruins were tied for sixth entering Tuesday’s final round, but they managed to move their way up the leaderboard.

“I liked our resilience,” said coach Armen Kirakossian. “Even though they knew probably at some point the last day that we weren’t in contention to win, they still fought for every single shot.”

The Bruins ultimately placed fifth, with Utah’s Johnson and Sergio Jimenez leading the Red Rocks to the team championship.

However, Ereño’s victorious moment allowed the Bruins to celebrate a successful start to their season for one of their top players.

“Pablo has meant so much to this team and program,” Kirakossian said. “I mean, there’s no way you can’t be happy for Pablo. And the guys were just ecstatic for him.”

As his senior campaign gets off with a winning start, Ereño said he knows that he cannot ride this high forever.

“I still need to go back home and keep practicing hard, keep getting better, because there’s other things I can improve,” Ereño said. “We all start with the same score, and you gotta earn it every single round, every single shot, every single tournament.”

For now, the Bruins can celebrate a milestone victory for a leader who had waited a long time to taste victory.

The Bruins will next attend The Fighting Irish Classic next weekend, hosted by Notre Dame.