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  COURTNEY STEWART Freshman Melissa Martin putts the ball at the Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes.

By Michelle Coppolella

Daily Bruin Contributor

Despite leading the first round, the No. 19 UCLA women’s golf team finished fifth out of 18 teams with a final score of 902 in the Pioneer Bruin Classic at Menifee Lakes Country Club on Monday and Tuesday.

The top Bruin finisher was senior Laura Moffat, who placed 19th with a score of 224. Freshman Johanna Andersson also tied with Moffat for 19th place; however, Andersson played as an individual for UCLA.

UCLA junior Alicia Um finished in a tie for 22nd at 225, followed by freshman Saki Uechi, who tied for 33rd at 228. Senior Leilani Bagby and freshmen Gina Umeck both tied for 40th at 229.

No. 10 Pepperdine captured its second straight Pioneer Bruin Classic team title with a 9-over par 873, six shots over No. 21 Oklahoma, which finished in second place. USC finished third with a score of 887 and Cal took fourth at 896.

Pepperdine sophomore Katherine Hull claimed the individual title with a total of 213, three-under par. She won by three shots over Nevada’s Angie Yoon, Oklahoma’s Allison Johnson and USC’s Candie Kung, who each finished in a tie for second place at par 216.

The Bruins led in the first round of the tournament with a 3-over par 291, just one shot ahead of Pepperdine and Oklahoma who were both tied for second at 292.

Moffat and Uechi finished the first round tied for sixth place at par 72, still clinging to the hope of capturing an individual title.

The second round was postponed until Tuesday because of darkness and brought UCLA only heartache. The Bruins finished the round in fifth place with a score of 305 and would finish the third round in the same position with a 306.

The different format of the tournament could have played a major role in the Bruins’ struggle during the tournament. In a typical golf tournament, 18 holes are played each day over a period of three days.

However, in this tournament, 18 holes were played the first day and 36 holes were played the second day. Head Coach Carrie Leary said that this unique situation provided some difficulty for UCLA.

“What happened in the second round was a combo of fatigue and exhaustion,” she said. “We’re in relatively good condition, but the unusually slow pace of the game and the extra 18 holes made it a long, tiring day.”

The team will have a three-week break until the Ping/ASU Invitational, which is UCLA’s last tournament before the Pac-10 Championships. Despite the disappointing tournament, Leary is confident that her team will play well when it counts most.

“I think they all understand the importance of the rest of the season,” Leary said. “I don’t expect any of them to slack and I expect them all to stay sharp. We’ll be ready for the Pac-10s.”

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