The Bruins’ worst result of the year took place in front of the cameras.

No. 14 UCLA women’s golf placed seventh with a 19-over 883 at the inaugural GameAbove Invitational in Rolling Hills Estates, California. The event, most of which was broadcast live and took place March 9 to March 10, saw the Bruins battle against several of the sport’s powerhouses – ultimately marking their lowest tournament finish of the season.

Coach Alicia Um Holmes said she was happy to see the event being streamed, as it increased visibility for collegiate golf while benefiting individual Bruins.

“It gives our players the opportunity to experience what it’s like playing in front of the cameras,” Um Holmes said. “A little bit, in the beginning, they were focused on all the bells and whistles, … but once we got playing, it was business as usual.”

Um Holmes added that along with acclimating to the cameras, the Bruins also learned Rolling Hills Country Club over the rounds, adjusting to the speedy greens and hilly terrain.

This learning was reflected in UCLA’s scores, which improved each round of the event. The team opened with a 15-over in round one Monday, improved to a 6-over in round two the same day and finally broke par at 2-under in the final round Tuesday.

Um Holmes said the unfamiliarity of the course was reflected in the squad’s high overall score but added that she expected a better outcome if the team were to return to the venue.

Meghan Royal mirrored the team’s improvement in her play, as the senior found her groove with a 4-under 68 in the final round – UCLA’s lowest score of the event. The mark boosted Royal 16 places on the leaderboard to tie for sixth with an even-par finish.

“I’ve been trending in the right direction recently, and I put my head down and stayed patient and just played golf rather than worrying about results,” Royal said. “It (Royal’s Tuesday score) was a combination of knowing the course better but then also not making as many mistakes.”

Royal added that her previous experience with playing under cameras at nationals – which she said was a more intrusive production – helped her feel comfortable with the broadcast at this event. Um Holmes added that she has seen Royal improve her mental approach to the game over the last few months, noting the Carlsbad, California, local has become calmer on each shot.

Junior Jennifer Seo and sophomore Jen Lee finished not far behind Royal, tying for 17th and 23rd with scores of 3- and 7-over, respectively. Freshman Kacey Ly, who tied for 34th, and sophomore Maye Huang, who placed 52nd, rounded out the Bruin squad.

No. 2 USC secured the win at the event, reaching a score of 22-under across the two days. It was joined below par only by No. 3 Texas A&M, which finished at 10 below par.

Regardless of the overall results, Um Holmes said the nature of the event was positive for the sport.

“It was really, really cool for the girls to be treated like mini pros out there this week,” Um Holmes said. “Hopefully it’s something that a lot of other schools, if they have the opportunity, really take notes and try to replicate.”

UCLA Athletics did not make a second athlete available for interview.