Teams must play the long game in golf.

But when competing against an elite field, the margins grow thinner.

The Bruins took over 850 shots this week.

And yet, it was a single one that made all the difference.

Then-No. 14 UCLA women’s golf took third place with a score of 2-over 866 at the Bruin Wave Invitational presented by Capillus at Valencia Country Club in Santa Clarita, California, on Monday and Tuesday. And for the fourth time this season, the squad was edged out by just one stroke on the final leaderboard.

“It’s been a little bit of our theme this year,” said coach Alicia Um Holmes. “I am trying to figure out a way to get our team to save that one shot. … That’s the biggest hurdle – closing the knowing-doing gap. They know what they have to do, but actually doing it on a consistent daily basis is really what we’re aiming for.”

No. 1 Stanford achieved its fourth tournament victory of the season by a 22-stroke margin, coming in at 21-under 843. Although UCLA sat in second place after the first two rounds, No. 10 Pepperdine snuck into a second-place finish after the Bruins shot 9-over 297 in round three. The Bruins were unable to defend their title after taking first at the tournament last season.

Nonetheless, the third-place finish in the 13-team field was powered by strong individual performances, as four Bruins in the lineup placed inside the top 20 and all five finished within the top 35.

No. 105 freshman Kacey Ly earned her third consecutive fourth-place finish, shooting 4-under 212. The Temple City, California, local entered the final round in first place but slipped after carding a 3-over 75. She also recorded the first eagle of her collegiate career in the second round.

“Our win at PV (UCLA’s first-place finish at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge) really helped my confidence, and knowing that me and my team can go up against really high-ranked teams and players,” Ly said.

No. 42 sophomore Jen Lee and No. 125 senior Meghan Royal tied for No. 16 at 3-over 219, with Royal carding an eagle in the second round, her first of the season. For Royal – the lone senior on the squad – the top-20 result marked a bounce-back from her 20-over showing at the Alice and John Wallace classic Feb. 14 to 16, where she placed No. 74.

Um Holmes added that for Royal, the result represented more of a mental victory than a physical one.

“She has all these hopes and aspirations after college to turn professional,” Um Holmes said. “It’s been a little bit of a mental struggle for her, because she wants very badly to have some good results before she graduates. But it’s funny with golf because you really have to stay in the present moment to get the end result that you want.”

Junior Jennifer Seo broke into the Bruin lineup for the first time this season, tying for No. 18 with 4-over 220 – matching her career-best finish. Sophomore Angela Liu rounded out the group, tying for No. 31 at 13-over.

Although the squad knows the course well and was able to play several practice rounds, Um Holmes said the recent weather impacted its familiarity with the grounds. Previous storms softened the greens, Um Holmes added, absorbing the ball’s impact and allowing players to be more aggressive with their approach shots.

“It actually played a little bit more foreign to us,” Um Holmes said. “Usually those greens are pretty firm and fast, and this year it was slower and more receptive, so it played nicely and it rewarded good shots. But at the same time, we didn’t really have as big of a home advantage as we would’ve liked.”

The tournament represented an opportunity for every Bruin to gain collegiate experience, even those who did not crack the lineup. The three athletes who competed as individuals – sophomore Maye Huang and freshmen duo Zoe Sprecher and GaEun Athena Yoo – all finished inside the top 30 in the 74-player field.

Although No. 109 Huang’s 1-over 217 did not count toward the team total, it was the second-lowest score among the Bruins and tied for No. 14 overall. The finish marked her best since the Windy City Collegiate Classic in September, where she also tied for No. 14. After carding five bogeys and a double bogey in the opening round to sit at 6-over 78, the Katy, Texas, local rebounded with a 3-under 69 to close.

“I’ve played that course so many times. I’ve experienced all the different types of weather and play that we’ve had to do,” Huang said. “Adjusting to it wasn’t too difficult.”

Yoo finished No. 21 despite logging a triple and double bogey on consecutive holes in the final round. Sprecher tied with Liu for No. 31 in just her second tournament appearance – a career-best finish.