Pablo Ereño stood on the first tee box of the Omni La Costa Spa & Resort, staring down the last round of his college career and perhaps the most important of his life.

Ereño sat at 10th individually at NCAA nationals. He needed to climb to seventh place in the next 18 holes to move into the PGA TOUR University top 10, earn a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour and punch his ticket to professional golf.

“I was playing for my career,” Ereño said. “I was also playing for my life.”

Several hours later, after nearly chipping in his eagle shot and then tapping in for birdie, Ereño walked off the 18th green. He’d finished in sixth place.

“After I was done, I just started crying,” Ereño said.

No. 14 UCLA men’s golf finished 20th at the NCAA championship, which took place May 23 to May 28 in Carlsbad, California. The team and all but one of its members missed the cut Sunday with a 30-over 894. However, Ereño’s score through the first three rounds allowed him to continue as the sole Bruin still in the event, and the senior walked his final round of collegiate golf while his teammates and father spectated from outside the ropes.

Coach Armen Kirakossian said the finish to the season brought a mix of emotions. While the Bruins fell short of their goal of a national title, the team still got to watch their seniors move on to pursue professional dreams. Omar Morales, who is graduating with Ereño, also earned a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour with his ninth-place ending in the PGA TOUR University standings.

“(It was) a disappointing national championship ending on a high note, celebrating Omar and Pablo’s success,” Kirakossian said.

Ereño finished with a 5-under 283 with his extra round while junior Kyle An posted an 8-over 224, Morales added a 10-over 226 and freshman Baylor Larrabee notched a 17-over 233. Freshman Trevor Garus subbed in for sophomore Luke Powell after the first day, and the two combined for an 18-over 234.

Kirakossian attributed the team’s struggles – the remainder of the team finished well above par – to the golf course’s novelty and toughness, which is off-limits to Division I teams throughout the season, and to the pressure of the event.

“You don’t play that difficult of conditions very often,” Kirakossian said. “If you haven’t seen it before, it’s difficult to know and be ready for when that smacks you in the face day one.”

Eight teams managed to move past that hurdle and the second cut to qualify for a match play tournament in the last three days. No. 2 Oklahoma State was the eventual winner, defeating No. 9 Virginia 4-1 on Wednesday to be crowned national champion.

Kirakossian said the players who had the opportunity to compete would be better prepared for next year, when the event returns to Carlsbad. While UCLA will feel the absence of Ereño and Morales, its two highest-ranked golfers, Kirakossian added that the mark they’ve left on the program will remain.

“(Ereño and Morales) have laid the foundation for our future years to come. They’ve really set a new standard and expectation of what we do here in our program,” Kirakossian said. “The future is very bright.”

While Ereño’s current focus may be on the next few months – which will bring the realization of what he said was a childhood dream – he added that his time at UCLA has made an impact on him.

“UCLA’s given me the opportunity to have a new family. … I’ve had teammates that I’ve loved so much the past four years,” Ereño said. “I’m so grateful for it.”