This post was updated April 1 at 10:01 p.m.
The Bruins were back in action after a month-long break, but the team showed no signs of rust – just gold.
No. 15 UCLA men’s golf surged to victory at The Goodwin Invitational in Palo Alto, California, finishing with an 11-under 829 across three rounds to capture the title by nine strokes over second-place Colorado. The win marks the Bruins’ second first-place finish this season and their first since Oct. 29.
The Bruins didn’t lead from the start, however.
Shooting 3-over par during the first round left them chasing the pack. But a second-round surge flipped the script as UCLA posted an 8-under team total Friday – the lowest single-round score across the tournament.
“What defined our success was the first round,” said coach Armen Kirakossian. “It wasn’t going our way and we hadn’t played a tournament in over a month, so we knew the guys were going to come out tight.”
After finding their rhythm, the Bruins never relinquished their lead following the second day of play.
“We settled into our own games and got comfortable with competing again,” Kirakossian said. “That is a testament to the guys for keeping their composure.”
Four of UCLA’s golfers finished within the top 20. Seniors Pablo Ereño and Omar Morales each tied for sixth at 4-under par.
Morales opened the tournament carding a 5-under 65 Thursday, followed by a 1-under 69 Friday. Despite a rocky start in the third round, Morales rallied to finish with a 2-over 72 and secured his third top-10 finish of the season.
“I was four over through four of the third round, but I don’t think I really hit any bad shots,” Morales said. “Maybe just not making the best decisions.”
Ereño said the team’s recent short-game work and driving accuracy led to the team’s win on the tough Stanford Golf Course.
“We really focused on short game the last month that we had off, and I think that really paid off,” Ereño said. “The rough was thicker, it was windier, it was colder. The fairway is rewarding, and I think we as a team hit it really straight.”
Across the rest of the roster, junior Kyle An and freshman Baylor Larrabee posted top-20 finishes at 1-under and even, respectively. Sophomore Luke Powell shot 2-over 72s on all three days, concluding with a score of 6-over 216, while freshman Trevor Garus shot 4-over 214, competing as an individual.
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