Having a short-term memory on the golf course is typically recommended for players to avoid becoming frustrated by setbacks during a round.

But keeping past successes in the back of one’s mind can help a player overcome adversity and push a team to achieve even further success.

Propelled by momentum following a first-place finish at 7-under 833 in the Fighting Irish Classic the first week of October, UCLA men’s golf will head to Alpharetta, Georgia, this weekend for the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational. The Bruins will take on a 14-team field that features NCAA runner-up Virginia and last year’s tournament champion Duke starting Friday.

With the recent win at Notre Dame fresh in their minds, the Bruins aim to continue developing their team identity during the final outing of the fall season this weekend.

“We want to keep that nice, kind of perfect level of energy where you’re excited to be out there, you’re happy, and you’re able to shake off bad stretches and bad shots,” said coach Armen Kirakossian. “Yet you’re still in the level of focus where you can concentrate over three rounds.”

This level of focus and ability to confront adversity helped Kirakossian’s players stay competitive throughout the duration of the windy and rainy Fighting Irish Classic, leading to a team score that defeated runner-up North Carolina by three strokes and tournament host Notre Dame by 11.

The three rounds in Indiana featured three Bruins registering scores under par, the most of any of the 16 squads that competed in the tournament. Sophomore Baylor Larrabee finished two strokes off the top of the individual leaderboard with a score of 4-under.

“One of my goals specifically this season has been looking a lot at bogey avoidance,” Larrabee said, “At Georgia Tech, I think good things will happen for our team if we can do that.”

Larrabee was joined in the individual top five by freshman Tyler Loree and senior Kyle An, who both tied for fifth place at 2-under. An, one of the four upperclassmen on the Bruins’ nine-player roster, finished Tuesday at the best leaderboard position of his collegiate career.

An also played in the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Classic last season, finishing at 4-under as part of a Bruins squad that shot two consecutive 8-under rounds followed by a 9-under final round that resulted in a runner-up finish with a 25-under 839 final tally.

“I think only two of us that are playing in it this week played there last year, so it’s relatively new for us,” An said. “We’re going to prepare beforehand so when we get there, we know what our game plan is. We can just go out and have fun.”

Last year’s tournament featured four teams that finished 10 under par, meaning bogey mitigation could prove critical if the Bruins want to one-up last year’s runner-up finish at a notoriously high-scoring course. The weekend will also feature a rematch with Duke, which registered a 17-under final round to overtake UCLA on the team leaderboard last year.

The Bruins have a younger roster facing a competitive field of teams, experienced upperclassmen such as An have evolved beyond their roles as just athletes to also leaders and mentors tasked with maintaining morale, even when things go sideways on the course.

“The senior leadership has really shown me a lot this year,” Larrabee said. “Our leadership through Kyle An too and being around those guys showed me how I needed to be as a leader.”

The inclusion of 2024 NCAA runner-up Virginia as one of this weekend’s competitors will provide a stout test for the young Bruins. The Cavaliers are coming off a team tie for first place at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational in Fort Worth on Sept. 30, led by preseason first-team All-American Ben James, who tied for the individual lead.

Playing a challenging course paired with a forecast of wind and light rain during Sunday’s final round will make the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational a dynamic challenge for Kirakossian’s five players who travel to compete in the Peach State.

“Something that’s been working for us is that we’ve been having very competitive qualifying at home to see who gets to travel on the trip,” Kirakossian said. “When you come here, you’re coming into a team of nine really good players, which can make it difficult to travel.”

First-round and second-round action is set to get underway at 9 a.m. EST on Friday and Saturday, respectively, followed by an 8:30 a.m. EST start for Sunday’s final round.

“Time zones, time differences, weather differences are just a part of the sport,” An said, “We’re used to that, so it’s just a matter of going out and executing.”