UCLA
The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate
No. 15 Men's Golf Wins Team Title at The Preserve Golf Club
October 28, 2024 | Men's Golf
CARMEL, Calif. – The No. 15-ranked UCLA men's golf program captured the tournament title at The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate on Tuesday afternoon, compiling a final total of 23-under 841 at the 54-hole event.
UCLA finished 10 strokes ahead of second-place San Diego State (13-under 851), while Colorado State, Oregon and Long Beach State rounded out the top five teams in the 12-school field.
The Bruins registered their first team tournament title since winning the Lamkin San Diego Classic on March 10, 2021. Tuesday's tournament win marked UCLA's first team victory of the Armen Kirakossian era.
"I'm just so ecstatic for us to get our first win as a team since I began coaching here," UCLA head coach Armen Kiramossian said. "We have had some individual successes, but this is the first time we've broken through as a team. I could not be prouder of how our guys finished it off. That final round today was just incredible. You could just see it by the score. I think that it was a culmination of being in the lead in all of the tournaments that we'd played in this fall, where we had a share of the lead in the tournament at some point. Last week at Georgia Tech, they played really solid and just got beat by a really hot Duke team, just a really good round by them. But it felt like we did what we were supposed to do. So today, we came out and the boys did what they're supposed to do. They really separated at the end, and that's hard to do in golf. That is a testament to them. It's a special moment for all of us to share, and I could not be more proud."
Senior Pablo Ereño had a stellar performance in the third round on Tuesday in Carmel, Calif., shooting 6-under 66. He concluded the two-day tournament tied for second place, at 8-under 208 with round scores of 68-74-66. Senior Omar Morales trailed Ereño by just three strokes (T-6th), finishing the tournament at 5-under 11 with round scores of 68-73-70.
Freshman Baylor Larrabee recorded a ninth-place finish, carding a score of 4-under 212. Over the three rounds, Larrabee registered round scores of 70-70-72. Junior Kyle An concluded the tournament at even par 216, while sophomore Luke Powell shot 2-over 218.
Ereño's strong performance on Tuesday afternoon included seven birdies and one bogey. He finished the tournament just one stroke shy of the individual leader, Jay Pabin of Colorado State (9-under 207). Ereño concluded the final three holes on Tuesday with consecutive birdies (the sixth, seventh and eighth holes).
Morales had five birdies and three bogeys in Tuesday's third round, birding two of his final three holes to finish 2-under 70 through the final 18 holes.
Sophomore Alex Papayoanou shot 2-over 218 through three rounds, competing as an individual. He shot 3-under 69 in the third round on Tuesday.
Darkness had descended upon the golf course on Monday with just a few holes remaining for several groups, still in the second round. Multiple schools finished the second round on Tuesday morning, with the third rounds taking place on Tuesday afternoon.
The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate marked the Bruins' final of four fall events. UCLA is scheduled to return to action in January, competing at the Southwestern Invitational in Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Jan. 27-29). The Southwestern Invitational will take place at Sherwood Country Club, just 33 miles to the northwest of UCLA's campus.
Day One: Bruins Among Team Leaders After First Day in Carmel
The No. 15-ranked UCLA men's golf program stands in second place, nearly two rounds into the The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate, after the first day of action.
Darkness descended upon the golf course with a handful of holes remaining for several groups in round two, while multiple schools were able to finish 36 holes on the first of two days at The Preserve Golf Club.
Moving into Tuesday's action, the Bruins were in second place, having shot 10-under par late in the second round. UCLA was in first place through the day's opening 18 holes, carding 9-under 279.
Four of the Bruins' six golfers in action completed the first and second rounds on Monday. Freshman Baylor Larrabee shot 4-under 140 through the first two rounds (T-6th), while senior Omar Morales carded 3-under 141 (T-9th). Senior Pablo Ereño finished the tournament's first two rounds with a score of 2-under 140 (T-14th).
Junior Kyle An shot 2-over 146 in the first two rounds, while sophomore Luke Powell was three holes shy of completing the second round (currently at 5-over par in the second round). Competing as an individual, sophomore Alex Papayoanou was also three holes away from finishing the second round (currently at even par).
Morales had an impressive stretch in the second round, registering birdies on five of six holes. He finished the first round 4-under 68 before closing the second round 1-over 73.
Players Mentioned
