Susie Mathews and head coach Carrie Forsyth from the women's golf team participated in early April. Their responses are below:
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| Dan in Honolulu!: Aloha Coach! Aloha Susie! You've both been there before...how is this year's team similar and/or different from the Championship team? Is the mindset and preparation different being a "favorite" this time around? | ||
| Coach Forsyth: Aloha Dan! This year's team is probably the most physically talented team we have ever had. The major difference between the team that won in 2004 and this team can be described as UCLA experience. In 2004, our roster consisted of 2 seasoned seniors, a junior All-American, a sophomore All-American and a freshman. This year our current traveling roster has one senior All-American, one sophomore All-American, and three freshmen. In 2004, the team work-ethic was above and beyond what any coach could hope for, or expect. This year has been more challenging as the youth on our team have had to learn to balance the academic demands of UCLA with the heavy golf schedule. It is a very common challenge for a young team, and something we are beginning to overcome. As far as being a "favorite" goes, it is not something we dwell on. If this season has taught us anything, it is that there are no gurantees. The only thing we can do is prepare completely, compete to win, and believe that our efforts will be rewarded with success. | ||
| Brian (San Francisco): Susie, which LPGA player do you most admire and why? | ||
| Susie: Lorena Ochoa. Even though Lorena is a young player on the tour I think she has the capacity to be world number one. She is a phenomenal golfer who has all the shots. Recently when our team was in Mexico, we were fortunate enough to have Lorena speak to us at a banquet. She informed us of the charity that she developed to help the unfortunate people in Mexico. It was impressive to see someone use her influence to help the community. | ||
| Charlie (Los Angeles): What's the status of Hannah Jun and will she be returning to the team either this year or in the future? | ||
| Coach Forsyth: Hannah has made a remarkably speedy recovery. However, we do not know when she will be able to return to the line up. She could return at some point either late this season, or next fall, but it depends on the completeness of her rehabilitation and her readiness to compete at the level necessary. We take it one day at a time. | ||
| Brandon: Susie, Congrats on the wonderful golf seasons at UCLA... What are your plans after golf & what lessons from your athletic experiences will you take with you after UCLA? Go Bruins!! Brandon | ||
| Susie: Thanks. At the moment I am focusing on our three major tournaments left for this season as well as finishing my classes in order to graduate in June. It is a fun time of the year as it is very exciting playing in the PAC 10 and NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. Team golf at UCLA has taught me how important it is to have a team that really enjoys each others company. It is a lot easier to play well and have fun on the course when everyone gets along well and supports each other. | ||
| JAMES DOSS: Carrie: Who do you see as your toughest competion in the Pac 10 and throughout the nation this year? | ||
| Coach Forsyth: Our toughest competition in the Pac 10 this year is ASU. They are currently ranked #3 in the nation, and have won two big tournaments. We have played against them a total of 6 times this year, and are 4 and 2 against them, but they are still very good. Nationally, Duke, Auburn, and Georgia all have very talented teams. I think that the NCAA Championship may turn out to be an East vs. West showdown again. | ||
| lindsey (san diego): Did the team get to do any sightseeing when you were in Guadalajara a few weeks ago? What was it like there? | ||
| Susie: Guadalajara was an interesting place. The rich and the poor are distinctly separated. It was sad to see the houses that looked as though they were about to fall down. We also visited a hospital with sick children. That showed me how lucky we are to live in the U.S. or a Westernized country. | ||
| Tommy (Pasadena): Coach Forsyth your ladies are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation. How do you keep them focused from day to day? | ||
| Coach Forsyth: One of the biggest challenges we face as a team is staying focused over the long season that we play. It is difficult in September to talk about an NCAA Championship that is 8 months away, and keep it real. That all changes this time of year. At every meeting we talk about how each day is preparing us for our goal of winning the NCAA Championship. At every event we talk about how it is a stepping stone towards our goal. It is really easy for this team to be focused at tournaments because they want to win, and they are all personally driven to do well for themselves and for the team. At practice everyone on the team has different areas of the game that they need to work on. It changes all the time. Some days we play, other days we just practice. Short game always gets the most emphasis at a team practice but we play a lot too. One new thing that we have been doing is playing matches within the team. It keeps the practice focused and competitive. | ||
| Flo(LA): How far do you think i should take my putter back on my backstroke on 3 to 5 foot putts? | ||
| Coach Forsyth: That really depends on a few things... is it an uphill or downhill putt? Are the greens fast or slow? Is there grain, and if so, it it helping or hurting you? As a general rule, no matter what the conditions, you should only take the putter back to a length that allows you to smoothly ACCELERATE on your forward stroke. Most amateur golfers take the putter back too far, and actually have to slow their stroke through impact to prevent from hitting the ball way past the hole. In putting, distance should generally be controlled by the length of the backstroke, not by slowing or excessively accelerating through impact. So, it follows that the shorter the putt, the shorter the backstroke. If you ever watch professional golf on t.v. you will see that the pros only take the putter back a few inches for 3-5 foot putts. Keep in mind the greens they putt are very fast and smooth, but it illustrates my point that when putting short putts, less is more. | ||
| Susie: It depends on the speed of the green as well as whether the putt is flat, uphill or downhill. I tend to putt by feel so generally I do not take the putter back all that far on three foot putts and as the putt gets longer, I take the putter back further. | ||
| Casey (Sydney): Susie, what do you miss most about Australia? | ||
| Susie: I miss looking for Koalas sitting in the gum trees on the golf course. I also miss the straightforwardness of going through peak hour traffic in Adelaide! Another thing I miss is VEGEMITE on toast and WEET-BIX. | ||
| Amy (Fullerton): This question is for both Coach and Susie - What would be your dream foursome? | ||
| Coach Forsyth: My dream foursome would be Babe Zaharias, Ben Hogan, Fred Couples, and my husband James. | ||
| Susie: Tiger Woods (unbelievable talent), Annika Sorenstam (best female golfer ever) Adam Scott (an Australian super star), Lorena Ochoa (a future super star). | ||
| Tony (LA): Coach, are you planning on having your team compete in any more men's tournaments like you did last year? | ||
| Coach Forsyth: At this time, we are not planning on participating in any men's events in the near future. The Gold Rush was a great experience for my team, but untimately, the controversy surrounding our participation was more than any of us bargained for. As much as our sport has evolved over the years, we are not at a place where cross-gender competition is readily accepted or appreciated. Maybe Michelle Wie or Annika Sorenstam will change that eventually, but we are not there yet. | ||
| Ryan (San Diego): What is it going to take for the Bruins to win the NCAA title again? | ||
| Coach Forsyth: For our team to win the NCAA title this year everyone on the team will have to be strong under the pressure and play with patience and commitment. The golf course we are playing is difficult, and will require a lot of strategy and shot-making skills, which is the perfect scenario for our team. We are doing many things very well right now, and if we keep up the momenteum that we are building over the next month, we will certainly be contending for the title again. | ||
| Susie: It would be handy for us to keep the momentum of the season going. We kick-started the momentum two tournaments ago and it is helping us to build confidence day-by-day. If we can have the best short game in the nation by May it is going to help us in our goal to win the NCAA Championship in 2006. | ||
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UCLA coaches and athletes will be on hand throughout the year to answer your questions in our "Ask the Bruins" Q&A sessions. Susie Mathews and head coach Carrie Forsyth from the women's golf team pa
