Friday, May 20
Scottsdale, AZ
All Day
UCLA
vs
NCAA Championships
Ty Akabane (photo by Alicia Um Holmes).
Photo by: Alicia Um-Holmes
No. 14 Seed UCLA to Compete at NCAA Championships at Grayhawk
May 19, 2022 | Women's Golf
LOS ANGELES – The No. 14 seed UCLA women's golf team begins competition at the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Friday. The Grayhawk Golf Club will play at 6,384 yards and as a par 72.
The Bruins tee off for round one of stroke play competition on the 10th tee beginning at 6:30 a.m. PT alongside Baylor and LSU. UCLA will vie for its fourth national championship in program history.
UCLA's Starting Five
The Bruins' lineup is as follows: Emma Spitz, Caroline Canales, Emilie Paltrinieri, Alessia Nobilio and Ty Akabane. Zoe Antoinette Campos will serve as a substitution option.
NCAA Championships Format
The six-day event will include 24 teams and 12 individuals completing 54 holes of stroke play across the first three days from May 20-22. Then, the top 15 teams along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team compete for one additional day of stroke play on May 23 to determine the top eight teams for match play competition as well as the 72-hole stroke play individual champion.
The top eight teams begin match play on May 24 and the team national championship will be decided on the final day on May 25.
Recapping Regionals
After being in a tie for first on the second day, UCLA tied for second (+13, 877) in the 14-team field at the NCAA Tallahassee Regionals hosted by Seminole Legacy Golf Club to advance to the program's 33rd NCAA Championship tournament.
The Bruins finished in the top three at Regionals for the fourth straight season. UCLA tied with No. 1 seed South Carolina and trailed first place Florida State by 17 strokes.
Spitz, who was one of just four golfers to finish under par, tied for third at 2-under 214 (70-70-74) for her second top-3 finish at an NCAA Regional in her career. Spitz ended the tournament four strokes back of medalist Beatrice Wallin (-6, 210) from Florida State who shot a 4-under 68 on the final day.
One Last Ride
Spitz will be competing in her final collegiate tournament at the NCAA Championships this week, graduating into the professional ranks.
Spitz has never finished outside the top three in any NCAA Regional or NCAA Championship event in her career. Spitz won the Bruins' third consecutive NCAA Regional individual title at the 2020-21 NCAA Louisville Regional after shooting an 8-under 208, including a 5-under 67 and 4-under 68 in the final two rounds. She went on to finish runner-up at the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club with a 7-under 287.
Spitz shoots a 70.3 scoring average across 10 total rounds at her two NCAA Regionals and one NCAA Championships appearances. She has recorded seven rounds under par, three sub-70 scores and finished over par just twice in those 10 rounds.
Spitz in UCLA's Record Books
Spitz enters her final collegiate competition ranked fourth all-time in program history with a 71.69 scoring average (78 rounds/5,592 strokes), sixth all-time with 40 under par rounds in her career, tied for 10th all-time with three career tournament wins and 13th all-time with 19 career top-10 finishes.
Spitz in 2022
Spitz, who earned the second All-Pac-12 First Team Honor of her career in 2022, leads the Bruins with a 72.0 scoring average, 13 rounds under par, five top-10s and eight top-20s.
Spitz, the No. 9 ranked women's collegiate golfer in the country, also leads the Bruins with five under-par tournament finishes: Stanford Intercollegiate (-1, 212), Nanea Pac-12 Preview (-8, 211), PING/ASU Invitational (-7, 209), Chambers Bay Invitational (-1, 215) and the NCAA Tallahassee Regional (-2, 214).
Spitz owns UCLA's only individual medal this season, coming at the Chambers Bay Invitational on April 12 where she was the only golfer in the field to finish under par.
Outside of collegiate play, Spitz has participated in all three Augusta National Women's Amateur tournaments. In this year's showcase, Spitz was one stroke behind the leader heading into day three before finishing tied for 12th at 5-over 221.
Expect a Run on Day Two
Spitz is an astounding 11-under in second round play in her 11 tournaments this season, averaging a 70.9 strokes on day two.
Spitz Named ANNIKA Award Finalist
Spitz was named an ANNIKA Award Finalist for the third time of her career, the Haskins Foundation announced Monday morning. Created in 2014, the ANNIKA Award is annually given to the top female U.S. collegiate golfer the winner voted on by players, coaches and members of the college golf media.
Two Bruins -- Alison Lee and Bronte Law -- have brought ANNIKA Award honors to Westwood in the award's seven-year history.
Memories at Grayhawk
UCLA has competed at the Grayhawk Golf Club in the postseason just once before for the 2021 NCAA Championships. The Bruins finished last out of the 15-team field at 37-over 1189.
Spitz dazzled, however, shooting a 7-under 281 with a 4-under 68 in her final round of the competition to secure her runner-up finish.
Playing Our Best Golf
Freshman Caroline Canales has record three of her six top-20 finishes in the Bruins' last three competitions, including a T-6th performance at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional (+2, 218).
Canales was tied for third after two rounds of the NCAA Regionals.
Canales is averaging 74.1 strokes around with five under-par rounds and one under-par tournament finish at The Match in the Desert on Jan. 24 (-1, 143).
Joining Canales in the top three after two rounds at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional was Paltrinieri, who went on to finish tied for 16th (+6, 222). Also similar to Canales, Paltrinieri has notch three of her six top-20s and two of her three top-10s in the last three events.
Paltrinieri's best finish came at the Chambers Bay Invitational on April 12 where she was a runner-up to Spitz with a 1-over 217 (73-71-73). She followed that performance with a top-10 finish at the Pac-12 Championships (T-9th; +4, 220).
Paltrinieri's only under-par tournament finish in 2022 came at the PING/ASU Invitational (-3, 213).
Nobilio at Pac-12 Championships
Freshman Alessia Nobilio paced the Bruins at the rainy Pac-12 Championships in Eugene, Ore., tying for third at 1-over 217 (72-72-73).
Nobilio led UCLA in many of its early-season competitions with back-to-back top-10s to open her collegiate career. She tied for fifth at the Molly Collegiate Invitational on Sept. 28 (+3, 219) and was runner-up at The Blessings Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 6 (E, 216). All of Nobilio's three sub-70 round scores came in UCLA's first three events of the 2020-21 season.
Nobilio has recorded just one under-par round in the 2022 calendar year.
UCLA at the NCAA Championships
UCLA has won three national championships in 2011, 2004 and 1991.
The Bruins won the team stroke play title in 2018 and 2016, but lost in the match play portion.
Tiffany Joh tied for first for the individual stroke play medal, but lost the title in a playoff. No Bruin has ever medaled for the individual stroke play title outright.
The Bruins tee off for round one of stroke play competition on the 10th tee beginning at 6:30 a.m. PT alongside Baylor and LSU. UCLA will vie for its fourth national championship in program history.
UCLA's Starting Five
The Bruins' lineup is as follows: Emma Spitz, Caroline Canales, Emilie Paltrinieri, Alessia Nobilio and Ty Akabane. Zoe Antoinette Campos will serve as a substitution option.
NCAA Championships Format
The six-day event will include 24 teams and 12 individuals completing 54 holes of stroke play across the first three days from May 20-22. Then, the top 15 teams along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team compete for one additional day of stroke play on May 23 to determine the top eight teams for match play competition as well as the 72-hole stroke play individual champion.
The top eight teams begin match play on May 24 and the team national championship will be decided on the final day on May 25.
Recapping Regionals
After being in a tie for first on the second day, UCLA tied for second (+13, 877) in the 14-team field at the NCAA Tallahassee Regionals hosted by Seminole Legacy Golf Club to advance to the program's 33rd NCAA Championship tournament.
The Bruins finished in the top three at Regionals for the fourth straight season. UCLA tied with No. 1 seed South Carolina and trailed first place Florida State by 17 strokes.
Spitz, who was one of just four golfers to finish under par, tied for third at 2-under 214 (70-70-74) for her second top-3 finish at an NCAA Regional in her career. Spitz ended the tournament four strokes back of medalist Beatrice Wallin (-6, 210) from Florida State who shot a 4-under 68 on the final day.
One Last Ride
Spitz will be competing in her final collegiate tournament at the NCAA Championships this week, graduating into the professional ranks.
Spitz has never finished outside the top three in any NCAA Regional or NCAA Championship event in her career. Spitz won the Bruins' third consecutive NCAA Regional individual title at the 2020-21 NCAA Louisville Regional after shooting an 8-under 208, including a 5-under 67 and 4-under 68 in the final two rounds. She went on to finish runner-up at the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club with a 7-under 287.
Spitz shoots a 70.3 scoring average across 10 total rounds at her two NCAA Regionals and one NCAA Championships appearances. She has recorded seven rounds under par, three sub-70 scores and finished over par just twice in those 10 rounds.
Spitz in UCLA's Record Books
Spitz enters her final collegiate competition ranked fourth all-time in program history with a 71.69 scoring average (78 rounds/5,592 strokes), sixth all-time with 40 under par rounds in her career, tied for 10th all-time with three career tournament wins and 13th all-time with 19 career top-10 finishes.
Spitz in 2022
Spitz, who earned the second All-Pac-12 First Team Honor of her career in 2022, leads the Bruins with a 72.0 scoring average, 13 rounds under par, five top-10s and eight top-20s.
Spitz, the No. 9 ranked women's collegiate golfer in the country, also leads the Bruins with five under-par tournament finishes: Stanford Intercollegiate (-1, 212), Nanea Pac-12 Preview (-8, 211), PING/ASU Invitational (-7, 209), Chambers Bay Invitational (-1, 215) and the NCAA Tallahassee Regional (-2, 214).
Spitz owns UCLA's only individual medal this season, coming at the Chambers Bay Invitational on April 12 where she was the only golfer in the field to finish under par.
Outside of collegiate play, Spitz has participated in all three Augusta National Women's Amateur tournaments. In this year's showcase, Spitz was one stroke behind the leader heading into day three before finishing tied for 12th at 5-over 221.
Expect a Run on Day Two
Spitz is an astounding 11-under in second round play in her 11 tournaments this season, averaging a 70.9 strokes on day two.
Spitz Named ANNIKA Award Finalist
Spitz was named an ANNIKA Award Finalist for the third time of her career, the Haskins Foundation announced Monday morning. Created in 2014, the ANNIKA Award is annually given to the top female U.S. collegiate golfer the winner voted on by players, coaches and members of the college golf media.
Two Bruins -- Alison Lee and Bronte Law -- have brought ANNIKA Award honors to Westwood in the award's seven-year history.
Memories at Grayhawk
UCLA has competed at the Grayhawk Golf Club in the postseason just once before for the 2021 NCAA Championships. The Bruins finished last out of the 15-team field at 37-over 1189.
Spitz dazzled, however, shooting a 7-under 281 with a 4-under 68 in her final round of the competition to secure her runner-up finish.
Playing Our Best Golf
Freshman Caroline Canales has record three of her six top-20 finishes in the Bruins' last three competitions, including a T-6th performance at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional (+2, 218).
Canales was tied for third after two rounds of the NCAA Regionals.
Canales is averaging 74.1 strokes around with five under-par rounds and one under-par tournament finish at The Match in the Desert on Jan. 24 (-1, 143).
Joining Canales in the top three after two rounds at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional was Paltrinieri, who went on to finish tied for 16th (+6, 222). Also similar to Canales, Paltrinieri has notch three of her six top-20s and two of her three top-10s in the last three events.
Paltrinieri's best finish came at the Chambers Bay Invitational on April 12 where she was a runner-up to Spitz with a 1-over 217 (73-71-73). She followed that performance with a top-10 finish at the Pac-12 Championships (T-9th; +4, 220).
Paltrinieri's only under-par tournament finish in 2022 came at the PING/ASU Invitational (-3, 213).
Nobilio at Pac-12 Championships
Freshman Alessia Nobilio paced the Bruins at the rainy Pac-12 Championships in Eugene, Ore., tying for third at 1-over 217 (72-72-73).
Nobilio led UCLA in many of its early-season competitions with back-to-back top-10s to open her collegiate career. She tied for fifth at the Molly Collegiate Invitational on Sept. 28 (+3, 219) and was runner-up at The Blessings Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 6 (E, 216). All of Nobilio's three sub-70 round scores came in UCLA's first three events of the 2020-21 season.
Nobilio has recorded just one under-par round in the 2022 calendar year.
UCLA at the NCAA Championships
UCLA has won three national championships in 2011, 2004 and 1991.
The Bruins won the team stroke play title in 2018 and 2016, but lost in the match play portion.
Tiffany Joh tied for first for the individual stroke play medal, but lost the title in a playoff. No Bruin has ever medaled for the individual stroke play title outright.
Players Mentioned
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