Bruins not dampened by drab finish

Thursday, October 29, 1998

RECAP: Despite soggy course, team improves since last tournament

By Pauline Vu

Daily Bruin Contributor

The UCLA women's golf team turned in a mediocre 12th-place finish the first round, battled rainy conditions and a stubborn 15th hole the second round, and saved their best round for last to land in ninth place at the Stanford Women's Intercollegiate Invitational.

"We had three solid rounds, and we kept moving up. I'm happy with the team," said coach Jackie Tobian-Steinmann.

What makes the Bruins' play especially gratifying is their remarkable improvement from the last tournament they played in, the Bama Fall Preview.

Although that tournament was one of the most challenging in the country, what the Bruins remember most is their next-to-last place finish.

"The team played much better this time. Each of the players improved," Tobian-Steinmann said.

"Hopefully, we'll keep getting better," she added.

The Stanford tournament was nearly as tough as the Bama Fall Preview, with 11 ranked teams and eight ranked players.

With a team total of 923, 47-over-par, the Bruins were tied at ninth place with two of these ranked teams, Oregon State (No. 20) and New Mexico State (No. 18).

They also defeated defending NCAA champion Arizona State (No. 3) and New Mexico (No. 24), both of whom soundly defeated the Bruins at the Bama Fall Preview.

Heavy rain on the second day of the tournament postponed play until the afternoon. As a result, the course was wet and the ball moved more slowly.

However, the worse result of the rain was the 15th hole where, attempting to place the hole in an area unaffected by the moisture, officials placed it on a steep slope.

Many players who hit the ball saw it roll past the hole and down the slope and stop there, forcing them to hit it again and again, and again.

"The hole placement was probably illegal. I saw girls take eight or nine, even 11 strokes on this par-4 hole," Tobian-Steinmann said.

"Players of this caliber do not take that many strokes on a hole," she stressed simply. "And when you have to carry that kind of score around, the result is discouraging. It's sad to watch."

Amanda Moltke-Leth, the Bruins' leading player, called the hole placement "stupid and ridiculous."

"It was almost more luck than skill if you actually made it," she said.

Every Bruin had at least one good round in the tournament.

Moltke-Leth led the Bruins for the second consecutive tournament, tying for 24th with an 8-over-par 227.

"I'm still not playing as well as I can. Lately, I haven't been focusing 100 percent on golf, and it's been affecting my game," Moltke-Leth said.

Leilani Bagby placed second for the Bruins, tying for 37th place with a score of 230. She had the Bruins' lowest score during the challenging second round with 75, only 2-over-par.

Alexandra Gassar tied for 41st place, two strokes behind Bagby. In the first round she fired a 73, the overall lowest score for the Bruins.

The tournament winner, Arizona, was forced to fight from behind to win the title.

After a third-place finish in the first round, Arizona continued to move up a place in each succeeding round. Its team score was 9-over par 885.

Stanford, in first place on the first day, moved down one place to claim second with 887, and Washington took third with 899.

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