Women's Golf Edged by Stanford at NCAA Championships
CARLSBAD, Calif. – The UCLA women's golf team lost to Stanford, 3-2, in the NCAA championship match in the early evening on Wednesday at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
The Bruins' thrilling run to the championship match ended just one day after UCLA had defeated (3) Texas A&M and (7) Oregon in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively. UCLA trailed Stanford in three of the pairings during the back nine holes on Wednesday afternoon and could not win a third and decisive point. Wednesday's action began at 2:15 p.m. (PT).
UCLA finished as the NCAA runner-up for the fifth time in program history and was seeking its first NCAA title since 2011.
When we first started, it was a brand-new bunch and we had four new players along with four returners, " said UCLA first-year head coach Alicia Um Holmes. "I really didn't know what to expect. I was just hoping they would mesh well together and that maybe we could do something. Right off the bat at one of our first tournaments, we shot one of our lowest team scores in the record books, so I thought maybe we do have something here. Then we won our next tournament. We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves and tried to stay in the present and take it day-by-day. The ladies really worked hard and bought into our message of progress over results and just being your best you. We had a lot of fun together, and I'm really grateful for that. They are such a wonderful group of ladies. They are really sweet, nice and generous. I think I just hit the jackpot and am really lucky."
"It means a lot (to compete in Um Holmes' first year as head coach)," said UCLA junior Zoe Antoinette Campos. "I love Alicia to death. I think I was really comfortable with her by my side. She knows my game and she knows me, and that's what I want in a coach."
UCLA's Caroline Canales and Campos held leads against Stanford's Paula Martin Sampedro and Sadie Englemann, respectively, throughout the front nine holes. Stanford maintained leads against Meghan Royal, Natalie Vo and Kate Villegas as the championship round entered the back nine holes.
Canales opened her round hitting into the bunker in her first two tee shots to fall into an early one-hole deficit to Sampedro. Canales started her surge with a beautiful drive on the fifth which landed in the center of the fairway while Sampredro's tee shot went right into the thick stuff. Canales two-putted to even her match. On the sixth, Canales nearly took a one-hole lead by sinking a 30-footer from the back fringe. Sampredo's tee shot on the seventh veered wide left into the trees while Canales' shot sat pretty in the fairway for a clear approach. The Calabsas, Calif. went on to win the hole and take the lead for good in her match.
Canales ended the day with a hole-out eagle on the 18th to secure her 2 up victory.
"This week has been magical," Canales said. "It's been a long week, but we had so much fun with our team and coaches Alicia (Um Holmes) and Erynne (Yoo). This is what we've been working for all year. To come here and make both cuts (in stroke play) and then to advance to the final match is really a dream come true for us."
Canales maintained a lead against Martin Sampredo after winning a point on holes seven and eight, before holding onto a one-point margin through the back nine holes.
Stanford's Kelly Xu claimed the first point just before 6 p.m., with a 4&3 win on hole 15 against UCLA's Meghan Royal. Royal had cut the deficit to two, at the 11th hole. Nearly 20 minutes later, Rachel Heck secured a 3&2 victory over UCLA's Kate Villegas, allowing the Cardinal to win the first two points of the championship match.
Campos had a lead of four points, through 13 holes, and won her pairing against Stanford's Martin Sampredo (4&3). Moments later, Stanford clinched the championship, notching their third team point of the day. Megha Ganne secured a 3&2 victory over UCLA's Natalie Vo through 16 holes, helping Stanford to win the title.
Canales finished two-up against Stanford's Martin Sampredo, notching the Bruins' second point of the day.
The Bruins, under the direction of first-year head coach Alicia Um Holmes, made their first-ever NCAA Championship Match Play Final appearance Tuesday's wins against Texas A&M and Oregon. UCLA last advanced to the match play semifinals of the NCAA Championships in 2016, as the match play portion was added to the NCAA Tournament prior to the start of the 2015 season.
Wednesday's NCAA Championship Results – Stanford 3, UCLA 2
Caroline Canales (UCLA) def. Paula Martin Sampedro (Stanford), 2UP
Kelly Xu (Stanford) def. Meghan Royal (UCLA), 4&3
Megha Ganne (Stanford) def. Natalie Vo (UCLA), 3&2
Zoe Campos (UCLA) def. Sadie Englemann (Stanford), 4&3
Rachel Heck (Stanford), def. Kate Villegas (UCLA), 4&3