LOS ANGELES – Alicia Um Holmes announced her first signings as head coach of the UCLA women's golf team with the addition of transfers Tiffany Le (UC Riverside), Meghan Royal (Arkansas) and Natalie Vo (Colorado).
"I am happy that Tiffany, Meghan and Natalie have chosen to further their academic and athletic pursuits at UCLA," Um Holmes said. "These wonderful young women will make an immediate impact on our team and heighten the environment of our intra-squad qualifiers. All three are elite golfers, and I believe that the added competition will elevate our players' games. In turn, our team as a whole will benefit in the long run."
Tiffany Le (Walnut, Calif./Walnut HS/UC Riverside)
Le comes to UCLA after the most impressive individual season in UC Riverside history. As a sophomore in 2022-23, Le was the program's first Big West Golfer of the Year and became the first Highlander to advance to the NCAA Championships. The two-time All-Big West Selection finished the year as the highest-ranked golfer in program history at No. 18, per Golfstat.
Le posted six top 3 finishes, including two wins at the Hobble Creek Fall Classic and Fresno State Classic. Le shot a program-record 7-under 65 in round one of the NCAA Pullman Regional and later secured her spot in the NCAA Championships with a 30-yard pitch-in for eagle on the 18th to finish 6-under 66 in the third round. At nationals, Le tied for 14th at -3 with round scores of 75-68-71-71.
Other impressive single-season records that Le set last season include 19 rounds at or under par and a 71.70 scoring average, which bested the previous mark by a whole stroke. In total, Le finished top 10 in nine of UC Riverside's 11 events.
As a freshman, Le shot a team-low 73.71 scoring average and recorded five top 10 finishes, including a t-4th mark at the Big West Championships.
Le prepped at Walnut High School where she was a four-time CIF Team Champion and three-time Hacienda League MVP. In 2021, she was inducted into the Walnut High School Hall of Fame and named the Walnut High School Female Athlete of the Year.
Meghan Royal (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS/Arkansas)
Royal competed in seven events as a freshman at Arkansas last season. A native of Carlsbad, Calif., Royal posted the third-best scoring average on the team with 74.8 strokes across 18 rounds.
Royal, who has three years of eligibility remaining, earned a spot in the Razorbacks' lineup in four of her seven events. She finished the season with six rounds at or under par, including a season-low 69 in round two of the MountainView Collegiate. Royal's best finish of the season came at the MountainView Collegiate, tying for 22nd at -3 (74-69-70). The performance earned her SEC Freshman Golfer of the Week honors.
At Carlsbad High School, Royal medaled at the 2021 CIF San Diego Championship, finishing nine strokes under par. She collected two top 15 finishes at the 2019 and 2021 California State Women's Amateur Championships, placing fifth and 11th, respectively.
Natalie Vo (San Jose, Calif./The Harker School/Colorado)
Vo owns a 75.98 scoring average in 62 career rounds (two seasons) at Colorado.
As a sophomore in 2022-23, Vo was the only Colorado golfer to compete in all 30 rounds with 27 of those rounds counting towards the team score (90.0%). Vo was the top golfer in four of the Buffaloes' 10 events. She posted two top 20 finishes at the Barbara Nicklaus Cup where she finished t-14th at +26 (83-73-76) and the PING/ASU Invitational where she shot her best 54-hole score as a collegian with a 2-over 218 to tie for 15th.
Vo shot a 76.28 scoring average in 32 rounds as a true freshman in 2021-22. Her best finish that season came in her first collegiate tournament at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invite which resulted in a t-23rd spot (73-78-72).
Last summer, Vo earned co-medalist honors at the 2022 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at the Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky. after sharing the 36-hole lead with Japan's Saki Baba at -7. The San Jose, Calif. native later advanced to the round of 64 in match play.
In her high school career, Vo was a three-time West Bay Athletic League First Team honoree and helped The Harker School to the 2021 Central Coast Section title while winning the tournament individual medal.
"I am happy that Tiffany, Meghan and Natalie have chosen to further their academic and athletic pursuits at UCLA," Um Holmes said. "These wonderful young women will make an immediate impact on our team and heighten the environment of our intra-squad qualifiers. All three are elite golfers, and I believe that the added competition will elevate our players' games. In turn, our team as a whole will benefit in the long run."
Tiffany Le (Walnut, Calif./Walnut HS/UC Riverside)
Le comes to UCLA after the most impressive individual season in UC Riverside history. As a sophomore in 2022-23, Le was the program's first Big West Golfer of the Year and became the first Highlander to advance to the NCAA Championships. The two-time All-Big West Selection finished the year as the highest-ranked golfer in program history at No. 18, per Golfstat.
Le posted six top 3 finishes, including two wins at the Hobble Creek Fall Classic and Fresno State Classic. Le shot a program-record 7-under 65 in round one of the NCAA Pullman Regional and later secured her spot in the NCAA Championships with a 30-yard pitch-in for eagle on the 18th to finish 6-under 66 in the third round. At nationals, Le tied for 14th at -3 with round scores of 75-68-71-71.
Other impressive single-season records that Le set last season include 19 rounds at or under par and a 71.70 scoring average, which bested the previous mark by a whole stroke. In total, Le finished top 10 in nine of UC Riverside's 11 events.
As a freshman, Le shot a team-low 73.71 scoring average and recorded five top 10 finishes, including a t-4th mark at the Big West Championships.
Le prepped at Walnut High School where she was a four-time CIF Team Champion and three-time Hacienda League MVP. In 2021, she was inducted into the Walnut High School Hall of Fame and named the Walnut High School Female Athlete of the Year.
Meghan Royal (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS/Arkansas)
Royal competed in seven events as a freshman at Arkansas last season. A native of Carlsbad, Calif., Royal posted the third-best scoring average on the team with 74.8 strokes across 18 rounds.
Royal, who has three years of eligibility remaining, earned a spot in the Razorbacks' lineup in four of her seven events. She finished the season with six rounds at or under par, including a season-low 69 in round two of the MountainView Collegiate. Royal's best finish of the season came at the MountainView Collegiate, tying for 22nd at -3 (74-69-70). The performance earned her SEC Freshman Golfer of the Week honors.
At Carlsbad High School, Royal medaled at the 2021 CIF San Diego Championship, finishing nine strokes under par. She collected two top 15 finishes at the 2019 and 2021 California State Women's Amateur Championships, placing fifth and 11th, respectively.
Natalie Vo (San Jose, Calif./The Harker School/Colorado)
Vo owns a 75.98 scoring average in 62 career rounds (two seasons) at Colorado.
As a sophomore in 2022-23, Vo was the only Colorado golfer to compete in all 30 rounds with 27 of those rounds counting towards the team score (90.0%). Vo was the top golfer in four of the Buffaloes' 10 events. She posted two top 20 finishes at the Barbara Nicklaus Cup where she finished t-14th at +26 (83-73-76) and the PING/ASU Invitational where she shot her best 54-hole score as a collegian with a 2-over 218 to tie for 15th.
Vo shot a 76.28 scoring average in 32 rounds as a true freshman in 2021-22. Her best finish that season came in her first collegiate tournament at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invite which resulted in a t-23rd spot (73-78-72).
Last summer, Vo earned co-medalist honors at the 2022 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at the Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky. after sharing the 36-hole lead with Japan's Saki Baba at -7. The San Jose, Calif. native later advanced to the round of 64 in match play.
In her high school career, Vo was a three-time West Bay Athletic League First Team honoree and helped The Harker School to the 2021 Central Coast Section title while winning the tournament individual medal.