Stanford Intercollegiate marks season low point for UCLA women’s golf
Junior Meghan Royal prepares to hit. Royal tied for 75th this past weekend at the Stanford Intercollegiate after scoring 15-over par. (Courtesy of UCLA Athletics)
Women's Golf
Stanford Intercollegiate
13th place
By Michael Gallagher
Oct. 22, 2024 5:10 p.m.
This post was updated Oct. 22 at 10:51 p.m.
A new lineup struggled in familiar territory.
No. 25 UCLA women’s golf tied for 13th place at the Stanford Intercollegiate over the weekend, finishing 33-above par in the tournament hosted at Stanford Golf Course in Palo Alto, California.
No. 3 Stanford and No. 14 USC tied for the win in Palo Alto after a back-and-forth contest, with several other top programs fighting in the mix for the victory. UCLA’s performance was largely stagnant, starting off the first two rounds tied for 12th at 9-over par and moving down the leaderboard in the final round after hitting 15-over par.
Lack of conversion in the short game on the thick rough and fast greens stunted the Bruins’ placement, coach Alicia Um Holmes said.
“Although we did hit the ball closer in proximity, we didn’t make those putts to save our pars, which in turn led to too many bogeys on the scorecard,” Um Holmes said. “Our game is trending in the right direction, so that was good to see.”
UCLA’s placement at its fourth tournament of the season was its lowest yet, but this fact did not shake Um Holmes’ faith in her team’s capabilities.
“We’re just sifting through the data we’re collecting right now in fall, and we’re not too far off,” Um Holmes said.
UCLA started its fourth new lineup in four tournaments this season, with its top performer being senior Tiffany Le, who finished 3-over par and tied for 31st. Her scorecard boasted eight birdies across three rounds, five of which came in her second round Saturday. Le was also the only Bruin to put up an under-par round the entire weekend.
“I was just focused on trusting my process and staying present throughout the entire tournament, and I felt pretty confident with my gang going into the tournament,” Le said. “So just trusting the work I put in, and it paid off in the end.”
Freshman Francesca Fiorellini was the Bruins’ second-best golfer, finishing tied for 49th of 99 at 8-over par. She shot seven birdies, though her 12 bogeys – including a double and a triple – prevented a better placement.
The Bruins will compete in the East Lake Cup next weekend in Atlanta – their final tournament of the fall season.
“We just need a little time to sharpen our tools and maybe reset on our mental games and our processes,” Um Holmes said. “Then see where that takes us.”