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Travis Johnson and the third-ranked UCLA men’s golf team begin regional play today.

In the eyes of the men’s golf team, this weekend’s regional competition is the first step to the national championship.

“All the other tournaments have just been getting us prepared for this tournament,” junior John Poucher said. “For us, the national championship is a seven-round tournament that begins in Oregon.”

Crosswater Golf Course in Bend, Ore. is the venue where the Bruins will compete against 27 other teams this weekend in the NCAA West Regional competition. The top 10 teams from each regional competition (East, Central and West) will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held June 1-4 in Hot Springs, Va.

UCLA has a slight advantage in this weekend’s competition, entering the tournament with the No. 1 seed even though the Bruins finished third in the Pac-10 championships behind Arizona and Arizona State.

“I think those things are very opinion-driven,” coach O.D. Vincent said of UCLA’s top seed. “I was surprised we were chosen as the top seed, but a lot of times you take breaks that go the other way, so we’ll take the good breaks.”

Arizona, the conference champion, is seeded third in the regional and Arizona State took the second slot.

But the Bruins are confident that the seeding is not an anomaly. Last year the Bruins won the West Regional by one stroke and finished a disappointing third in the NCAA Championship.

“We’re coming in with a year’s more experience,” senior Travis Johnson said.

“Coming so close last year and having that taste left in our mouths is still sitting sour, and that alone could, with our hard work and talent, push us over the edge to win it all.”

Johnson will enter as the team’s No. 1 player. Joining him at the tournament are Steve Conway, who recently advanced to the sectional qualifying round for the U.S. Open, John Merrick, Roy Moon and Poucher.

At this point in the season, the Bruins believe they are ready. But the tough Crosswater Golf Course will certainly pose a challenge.

“We want to go into regionals to get some confidence and momentum,” senior Roy Moon said. “The course will be set up pretty tough, but it suits us pretty well.”

The time to peak is now. The team feels they’re ready, but must prove it this weekend.

“It’s been a weird feeling throughout the whole year,” Johnson said. “We haven’t played to our full potential. I’m just waiting for us to kick it into first gear.

“We’re letting it out in the last tournaments. We’re ready now more than ever.”