UCLA
Southwestern Invitational
No. 18 UCLA Resumes Schedule in Westlake Village
January 26, 2020 | Men's Golf
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WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. - The 18th-ranked Bruins kick off the 2020 portion of their schedule on Monday with the two-day, 54-hole Southwestern Invitational. The tournament will be played at the North Ranch Country Club's Lakes and Oaks Courses (par-72, 6.992 yards). Monday's action will feature 36 holes, off both tees, starting at 7:45 a.m., followed by the 18-hole final round on Tuesday beginning at 7:45 a.m. off both tees.
The starting fivesome for UCLA will be senior Hidetoshi Yoshihara, juniors Devon Bling and Eddy Lai, sophomore Bryan Wiyang Teoh and freshman Tony Hendricks, with sophomore Ahmed Ali playing as an individual.
Joining the Bruins and host and sixth-ranked Pepperdine in the 12-team field are No. 4 BYU, No. 10 Arizona State, No. 27 Stanford, No. 29 LSU, No. 34 California, No. 43 USC, Augusta, North Texas, San Jose State and UC Davis.
UCLA has produced great showings at this tournament the last two seasons, winning the Southwestern Invitational (-8, 856) in 2018 and finishing third last year (+1, 865). Bling tied for 10th (E, 216) in 2019, while Lai tied for 15th (+2, 218). In 2018, Yoshihara finished third (-3, 213), Bling tied for fifth (E, 216) and Lai tied for 18th (+6, 222).
Bling closed out the fall portion of the schedule on a high note, shooting an 8-under 205 at the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational (Nov. 1-3). He posted a pair of 4-under 67s to open the tournament, tying for 12th. Bling also tied for 19th at the Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills (+2, 218) and tied for 35th at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational (+5, 221).
Yoshihara was under par in two of the three fall tournaments, shooting 2-under 214 with two under-par rounds at Marquette (T-10) and 5-under 208 with two more under-par rounds at Ka'anapali (T-33). His low round of the fall was his last, a 3-under 68 on Nov. 3. Yoshihara also tied for 52nd in Georgia (+9, 225).
Lai was under par in seven of his nine rounds in the fall, posting his first collegiate victory at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational. He finished at 7-under 209, including a 3-under 69 and a 4-under 68 to end the tournament. Lai tied for fifth at Marquette (-4, 212), closing with a 4-under 68. He tied for 18th at Ka'anapali, going under par in all three rounds to finish at 7-under 206.
Teoh was the top Bruin finisher at Ka'anapali, tying for sixth. He was under par in all three rounds, shooting a 5-under 66 and back-to-back, 3-under 68s. Teoh posted five under-par rounds in the fall, tying for 12th at Marquette (-1, 215) and tying for 19th at the Golf Club of Georgia (+2, 218).
Hendricks will be making his starting five debut. He played in one tournament in the fall as an individual, the Bill Cullum Invitational (T-86, +14, 230). Ali will be playing in his first tournament of the 2019-2020 season. He appeared in three tournaments as a freshman, recording a T-38 finish at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.
The Bruins shot a 35-under 817 as a team at the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational, finishing under par in all three rounds and third in the tournament. UCLA was also under par at the Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills (-5, 859) in a third-place finish, and was fifth at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational (+8, 872).
Players Mentioned
