Men’s golf continues to struggle
The Arizona men’s golf team continued its disappointing fall season over the weekend, finishing ninth at the Del Walker Intercollegiate in Long Beach, Calif., after a three-round score of 1067, 17-over par.
The Wildcats looked like they were finally about to break out of their season slump after two rounds, but an atrocious round three dropped the team to ninth place, where they remained. They were 2-over-par and in fourth place through two rounds, but a 365, 15-over-par killed the Wildcats’ chances of a top-three finish.
Junior Tarquin MacManus led the way for Arizona. The Aussie was just outside of the top 10 heading into day three but carded a final-round 72 to finish in 21st. MacManus finished the tournament at 209, 1-under-par.
Although he was the Wildcats’ top finisher, MacManus has not quite built off of his All-American sophomore season, but that is far from head coach Rick LaRose’s only concern.
The rest of the team struggled to get in a groove. In a tournament where five of six competitors count toward the team’s score rather than the usual four of five, no other UA golfer finished under par.
Senior John Kostis, coming off of the best tournament of his career, couldn’t gain momentum off of his seventh-place finish at the Wolf Pack Classic. Kostis finished the tournament in 38th place, firing a 214, 4-over-par.
Senior Rich Saferian, the team’s No. 2 golfer, also struggled en route to a 215, 5-over-par. Freshman transfer Stefan Cox rounded out the top 50 with a 216, 6-over-par.
The prestigious Arizona program — one with a national championship and 15 alumni on the PGA tour — has yet to place higher than sixth in a tournament this season.
The Wildcats will have a chance to right their sinking ship Nov. 6 at the CordeValle Collegiate in San Martin, Calif.
W-golf wraps up fall season in Nevada
The No. 25 UA women’s golf team will finish up its fall season as it tees off at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in Boulder City, Nev., today. It will be the team’s last tournament on schedule until February.
The team will play 18 holes today, 18 holes tomorrow and 18 holes Friday at the Boulder City Golf Club — a par-72, 6,233-yard course.
Head coach Shelly Haywood is sending freshmen Sherlyn Popelka and Kyndall Ardoin; sophomores Isabelle Boineau, Margarita Ramos and Nikki Koller; and junior Alejandra Llaneza. One of these six will compete as an individual.
Thus far the Wildcats have finished 10th, third and seventh through three tournaments, and hope to end the fall season on a high note. They will attempt to do so against a field of 16 teams, only one of which is in the Pacific 10 Conference — Washington.
The Wildcats are coming off of a disappointing seventh-place finish at the Stanford Intercollegiate, but have had some solid individual play at the top of their lineup as of late.
Ramos, Arizona’s No. 1 golfer, is currently ranked No. 29 in the country, according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. Boineau has also played a solid fall season, ranking 37th.
In addition to Ramos and Boineau, Haywood has gotten a solid effort out of heavily recruited Popelka thus far. She already has a top-15 finish to her name and is third on the team with a 74.17 stroke average.
The bottom of the lineup has been shaky, but Ardoin, Koller and Llaneza have a chance this week in Boulder City to add depth that this team has been missing all season.
— Mike Schmitz
