[Online Exclusive]: Women’s golf pulls out one-stroke win

Gavin Chanin
Published: Monday, April 3, 2006

The UCLA women’s golf team narrowly defeated a tight field in the Sun Devil Invitational on Sunday, showing the form many expected when tabbing the squad as a national title contender.

The Bruins won by a mere one stroke as they finished the tournament with a 1-over par 865, above Arizona State’s 2-over 866.

The second-ranked Bruins faced some of their toughest competition of the season going into this tournament, as they teed off against nine schools ranked in the top 25.

For the Bruins this would be a major test. It was the second to last tournament before heading into the Pac-10 Championships.

“We’re looking forward to starting our championship segment (at the Arizona State Invitational),” coach Carrie Forsyth said. “We’ve been very successful here in the past and want to follow up our win in Mexico with another here.”

UCLA recently defeated Duke, USC and Arizona State, three top-ranked teams, during the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, which took place in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The team moved out to second place after the first round, with four golfers scoring an even par and one golfer 1-over par.

The Bruins, however, wasted little time in the second round as they shot themselves to a four-stoke lead over Arizona State.

Led by senior and two-time All-American Susie Mathews, the Bruins gained the lead by staying consistent as other teams faltered.

Arizona State, the first-round leader, added 15 strokes in the second round, going from an impressive 5-under par 283 to a dismal 10-over par 298.

UCLA, on the other hand, added just one shot, going from an even par 288 to a 1-over par 289.

Individually, the Bruins also found success.

Bruin freshman Jane Park finished tied for second place with 211 (-5), just one stroke behind the individual winner Adriana Zwanck of Arizona, who finished with 210 (-6).

UCLA sophomore Amie Cochran found her way to fourth, shooting 3-under for the tournament. Mathews (+4), Tiffany Joh (+6) and Ryann O’Toole (+13) were not far behind, finishing tied for 12th, tied for 15th and tied for 37th, respectively.