There is nothing like playing golf in the Southern California sun.

As much of the country braces for freezing cold temperatures across the Midwest and Eastern seaboard, the Bruins may heat up in their second tournament of the year.

No. 21 UCLA men’s golf will make the trip to Westlake Village, California, to compete in the Southwestern Invitational at the North Ranch Country Club from Monday to Wednesday. The Bruins are excited to compete in another event close to home.

“It is always nice to be able to compete in your backyard,” said coach Armen Kirakossian.

Last season, the Bruins finished 12th in a 14-team field in Thousand Oaks, California. This year, they hope to bounce back from that performance with a much higher finish.

“We know we are all talented and good enough,” said junior Alex Papayoanou. “The results will come.”

Historically, the North Ranch Country Club has favored UCLA. The squad earned a third-place finish at that club’s edition of the Southwestern Invitational in 2024. The year before that, the Westwood bunch tied for fifth in Kirakossian’s first season at the helm.

With this prior success, the team and its coach enter the tournament with a mixture of excitement and high expectations.

“We have had success there in the past,” Kirakossian said. “Something clearly sets up good for our guys ‘eyes and comfortability.”

Nonetheless, every year brings either improvement or a setback. The Southwestern Invitational is no different.

For players such as Papayoanou, they are seeking to leave it all out on the course.

“We are just looking forward to a good week that is also close by,” Papayoanou said.

This year, the Bruins’ roster also features new faces who were not around for previous success at the North Ranch Country Club. Freshman Tyler Loree, a Hawai’i local, will play in the last tournament before the Amer Ari Intercollegiate tournament, which will take place in Kona, Hawaii, in two weeks.

Early winter tournaments like the Southwestern Invitational provide players such as Loree a great chance to solidify their spots on the team’s roster while also preparing themselves for a postseason push.

But the freshman hopes to embrace gradual progression.

“We need to be patient as a team and execute the best shots that we possibly can,” Loree said. “Whatever happens, happens.”

This tournament also marks a return to stroke play for the Bruins, as they fell short at the Copper Cup against Arizona in Laguna Niguel, California, last week.

“Whatever the outcome is, we will be okay,” Loree said. “As long as we can just be focusing on ourselves.”