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John Merrick shot an even-par 72 Wednesday, helping the UCLA men’s golf team move into firs

STILLWATER, Okla. — UCLA’s second round of the NCAA Championship got off to an extremely early start Wednesday morning. A 5 a.m. wake-up call is apparently just what the men’s golf team needed to get back on track after a lackluster first round at the extremely challenging Karsten Creek Golf Club. 

The Bruins, who are used to waking up in the wee hours of morning back in Los Angeles, took advantage of the favorable morning conditions. UCLA shot a very respectable seven-over par in the second round, giving it a two-round total of 22-over par. The Bruins’ second round is the lowest team round of the tournament thus far, and they now find themselves in familiar territory entering the final two rounds – in the lead. 

Host school Oklahoma State, supported by a heavy throng of spectators, trails UCLA by a single shot. The top two teams in the nation, Clemson and Florida, are third and fourth, respectively, heading into Thursday’s third round.

For the Bruins, Wednesday’s round was a matter of regaining their form, with each member of the five-man squad posting an identical or lower score than what they shot in their first round. 

Junior John Merrick shot an even-par 72 on Wednesday, UCLA’s lowest round of the championship. Merrick’s round had under-par written all over it, but a slight slip up on the par-3 15th hole cost him a shot at red figures. 

“I feel great about today. I just had one bad hole,” Merrick said.  “Other than that, I played real solidly. It’s just survival out there.”

Merrick is tied for fourth place at three-over par going into Thursday’s round.

Junior Roy Moon, who has been battling allergies in Oklahoma, shot a gutsy one-over par 73 to put him in a tie for 15th place. 

“I think it’s going to be a dogfight all the way to the end,” Moon said. “This is not a tournament you can think about being tired. If you’re feeling under the weather, you just have to post the lowest number you can.”

Moon, as well as the rest of the 155-player field, quickly found out that there is a premium on hitting the fairways to be successful on the Karsten Creek course.

“It’s a shot penalty if you hit it in the rough,” said Moon of the ankle-high rough. “If you hit it in the thick stuff, you’d have to play the hole really well just to make a bogey.”

Junior Travis Johnson posted his second consecutive round of 74 and is tied for 12th at four-over par. 

“The course takes a toll on you,” Johnson said. “It’s so demanding off the tees, off the fairways, approaches to the green – everything. You can’t let your guard down on any shot. It’s by far the toughest course I’ve ever played, and a lot of people are saying the same thing.”

Junior Steve Conway, playing in the number one position for the Bruins, is 10-over after his first two rounds of 78 and 76, and resides in a tie for 45th place. Junior John Poucher is 14-over after two rounds and tied for 84th. 

Knowing that its best golf is still to come, the team feels confident entering the final two rounds of its season. However, the players’ philosophy of staying in the moment at hand will not succumb to visions of the finish line.

“We can’t be thinking about winning,” Moon said. “We just have to hit fairways, hit greens, and keep our heads straight and stay confident.”

“We shot 15-over yesterday, and we felt bad about that,” Johnson said. “We thought we were going to be way back, but then we saw we were only four shots back. We know we’re good enough, and we know our games are good enough. If we play the course right we’re going to come out on top.”

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