While the momentum from the Bruins’ last campaign has come to a halt, they now have one more chance to get back on track in the fall.

And facing some familiar competition may help them return to that prior form.

UCLA men’s golf will conclude its fall season by competing in the East Lake Cup from Monday to Wednesday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The three other teams participating in the tournament – Arizona, Auburn and Oklahoma State – all advanced to the NCAA Championships alongside UCLA last season, with the Bruins defeating the Wildcats in the semifinal round before being taken down by the Tigers in the final.

Coach Armen Kirakossian’s group is yet to finish higher than eighth through its first four events of the season, but the squad has given reasons for optimism.

“We feel like we’ve been playing well, but we just haven’t quite gotten the results yet,” said Kirakossian. “And sometimes in golf, that happens. So I definitely feel like there’s some excitement to get back out competing again.”

Senior Alex Papayoanou led the Bruins in individual performance at their most recent outing, carding 1-under 215 across three rounds at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational from Oct. 16 to 18.

Papayoanou shot 3-under 69 in the event’s opening round – good for a tenth place tie on the individual leaderboard. He was joined by sophomore Tyler Loree, who shot 4-under 68 and tied for third. After the first round of action, UCLA sat in sixth place out of 14 squads in the field.

But the true test was maintaining that level of performance across the weekend.

After a strong start, the Bruins concluded round two in 11th place, collectively carding 7-over 295. Sophomore Josh Kim shot 1-over 73 across the round, while junior Baylor Larrabee shot 3-over 75.

“The team can improve on staying super positive out there and keeping the energy hot,” said Kim. “Towards the end of last season, when we had major success, we were all super pumped up, excited and motivated. If we can bring that energy back, we’ll have a really good week.”

The group’s newcomers have also experienced some growing pains early in the year. Freshman Baron Nguyen finished 6-over 78 in the second round and concluded the tournament in 77th place after shooting 17-over 233.

The group stayed cold in the final round of the tournament, shooting 6-over 294 in the closing frame. UCLA would remain in 11th place through the end of the event.

“You have to try to be a leader when (mistakes) happen,” said Larrabee. “It happens to everyone and you have to show that it’s more about how you react.”

The Bruins have one more shot at redemption this fall.

The course at East Lake Golf Club plays to a par of 72 and measures 7,374 yards from the championship tees. The tournament will feature 18 holes of stroke play Monday before two rounds of match play across Tuesday and Wednesday, including a match to determine the third place squad.

Between the course and the competitors, the Bruins have their work cut out for them in Atlanta. Oklahoma State and Auburn enter the tournament ranked first and third in the nation, respectively.

Oklahoma State boasts a record of 32-10-2 on the season, leading second place Arkansas by over two average points. Meanwhile, Auburn has gone 43-2-0 so far this year.

So while the field ahead is nothing short of talented, that may be just the recipe to get the Bruins back in the swing of things before a three-month pause.

“We feel like we’re making progress in practice, but you have to put yourself in those moments, and that only happens at competitions,” Kirakossian said. “As much as you want to simulate that at home, you have to get in those moments in tournaments. I’m excited for that opportunity.”