After 12 events spread across six months and two skin-of-their-teeth qualifications, the Bruins have arrived at the culmination of their season.

UCLA women’s golf will tee off for the final time this year at the NCAA championships at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, played from Friday to Wednesday. The Bruins, who are returning to nationals after a second-place finish last year, will have to fend off 29 opponents to raise the trophy.

“Nobody’s really expecting us to do anything in this tournament,” said coach Alicia Um Holmes. “But I know how tough this team is. … They’ve earned their spot in the championship, and now it’s up to them to allow themselves to perform and execute.”

UCLA’s success up to this point has been far from guaranteed. After starting the season ranked third nationally, the mid-year departures of Zoe Antoinette Campos and Caroline Canales to the LPGA deprived the team of two of its best scorers.

Then, after a season splotched with double-digit placements and scores far above par, the Bruins managed to scrape through to NCAA regionals with a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten championship – the lowest they could have gotten while still securing the over-.500 head-to-head win percentage they needed to advance.

Finally, last week in Charlottesville, Virginia, UCLA was the last team to get past the cut line at NCAA regionals, making it one of only 10 unranked schools to qualify for nationals.

Executing in Carlsbad will demand sharp play across six days, an unusually long event for the sport and the Bruins’ longest bout of the year. The format is also atypical – four days of stroke play with two cuts will narrow the field to 15 and then eight, before two final days of match play will determine the champion.

Um Holmes said the team’s trip to last year’s nationals will prove helpful, both in understanding the course and in navigating the logistical challenges that come with the large number of teams and dense schedule. She added that the team’s two returning NCAA championship competitors will also benefit from experience, namely Carlsbad local junior Meghan Royal and senior Natalie Vo.

Even for newcomers, the proximity could be beneficial. Freshman Angela Liu, who led UCLA at regionals with a 1-over 214, said being in her hometown state will be a boon.

“It’s pretty nice playing the nationals so close to home,” Liu said. “Having experience playing the course before – even though it was four or five years ago – it definitely does help.”

Freshman Maye Huang, who trailed only Liu for UCLA’s best score in Charlottesville, also said her familiarity with California grass would be helpful. She added that the more experienced golfers on her team are advising her to make the most of the event, to have fun while playing to the best of her abilities.

Huang said she planned to work on her long irons in the lead up to nationals, while Liu said she wanted to maximize her recovery in the short turnaround before heading back out to compete.

While UCLA enters the NCAA championships in very different circumstances from last year – over 20 spots lower in the ranking and missing the two pieces who won their head-to-heads in last year’s final – Um Holmes said her squad shouldn’t be counted out.

“Why not us? If we have a good week and we can perform like I know they can, then it’s up for grabs,” Um Holmes said. “It’s anybody’s game, and it could be us.”