Lightning is a favorite metaphor of the sports world, often representing a particularly quick athlete or a moment of electrifying play.

But in a sport played outdoors, dramatic weather is not simply a literary device – it can be all too real.

After battling travel delays and inclement weather conditions, No. 25 UCLA women’s golf placed 14th at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate in Hilton Head, South Carolina, played from Monday to Wednesday. The team finished three spots from the bottom, with a 57-over 909 at the Long Cove Club.

“I’m a little bit tired,” coach Alicia Um Holmes said. “It was quite a travel ordeal for our team.”

The Bruins didn’t arrive at the course until 2 a.m. on the morning of the practice round after their flight was delayed in North Carolina, Um Holmes said. As the sole West Coast team at the event, UCLA had the longest distance journey.

The lack of sleep was only the beginning of a series of challenges, as the weather in Hilton Head proved why March is known to go “in like a lion.”

Um Holmes said the third round started early because of concerns of late-day thunder but was then paused and resumed multiple times as lightning struck near the course, all while wind and rain hammered the players.

“It was tough to deal with, … the shelter was outside, and it was cold, and they were soaked from the rain,” Um Holmes said. “Just freezing when we restarted play.”

The sun had come out by the late afternoon, and the team had started making birdies – but it was too little, too late.

Senior Tiffany Le, who tied for 67th with a 16-over 229, said she wasn’t overly disappointed with the Bruins’ performance given the tribulations they faced.

“We all played to the best of our abilities,” Le said. “I’m still proud of how our team pushed through all the challenges we faced.”

Le was joined at the event by freshmen Francesca Fiorellini and Angela Liu, who tied for 52nd with 13-over 226s. Freshman Maya Huang and senior Natalie Vo rounded out the squad with a 19-over 232 and a 23-over 236, respectively.

Um Holmes said the team’s putting struggles factored into its high score, while Le added that the Bruins’ inability to put themselves in position for birdies left them scrambling for par.

At the top of the 17-team leaderboard was the home team, No. 5 South Carolina, and No. 22 LSU, which tied to finish with 11-over 863s.

While the Bruins may have liked to be higher on the leaderboard, Um Holmes said she was looking ahead to some rest and training before the Battle for the Bell against rival USC on March 17.

“Golf every week is going to be different,” she said. “Just keep focused on your goals and the progress. And I think if we do that, good things will happen.”