Alicia Um Holmes
Photo by: Jesus Ramirez

Um Holmes Named Golfweek Women’s Coach of the Year in First Season

June 05, 2024 | Women's Golf

LOS ANGELES – First-year UCLA women's golf head coach Alicia Um Holmes was named the Golfweek Coach of the Year Wednesday afternoon. Um Holmes, who spent the previous 17 seasons as an assistant at UCLA, guided the Bruins to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships in May.

"I'm truly humbled to be recognized as the Golfweek Coach of the Year," Um Holmes said. "I'd like to share this honor with my entire UCLA women's golf coaching staff: Erynne Yoo, Steve Holmes, Jeff Troesch and Adam Garner and also thank my mentor Carrie Forsyth for her tutelage the last two decades. It has been a fun and memorable season with our Bruins and their dedication to our team values led to so many fantastic moments. I'm excited for next season to roll around and continue this journey together."
 
UCLA won four tournament titles and the second annual Battle for the Bell versus crosstown rival USC in Um Holmes' first year as head coach. The four wins came at the Windy City Collegiate Classic (Oct. 2-3), The Match in the Desert (Jan. 22), Nanea Pac-12 Preview (Feb. 19-21) and The Show (March 4-5).
 
After making the eight-team cut line for match play at the NCAA Championships, UCLA defeated Texas A&M and Oregon before falling to Stanford, 3-2, in the final. The performance marked the Bruins' fifth runner-up finish in program history.
 
UCLA's early-season surge was signaled in the third round of Um Holmes' first tournament as head coach at the Mason Rudolph Championship on Sept. 24. All five Bruins shot under par to total a team score of 15-under 273 on day three for the fifth lowest 18-hole score in program history.
 
The Bruins rode that momentum into their next round, shooting a 16-under 272 to open the Windy City Collegiate Classic. That mark is tied for the third lowest 18-hole score in program history and is UCLA's best showing since round three of the 2018 Golfweek Conference Challenge. UCLA's final score of 32-under 832 tied the program 54-hole record and secured Um Holmes' first win as head coach. Three Bruins placed in the top 10, and even more impressive, the win came in a stacked field containing nine top 25 teams.
 
Multiple players received national and conference recognition in year one of the Um Holmes era. Zoe Antoinette Campos was named to the ANNIKA Award Final Watch List and a WGCA First Team All-American for the second straight season. Junior Caroline Canales also received the first WGCA Honorable Mention All-American honor of her collegiate career. Additionally, Campos was an All-Pac-12 First Team selection while three Bruins were recognized as All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention: Canales, Meghan Royal and Kate Villegas.
 
Six total UCLA golfers recorded multiple top-10 finishes in 2023-2024, led by Campos with eight.
 
UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Carrie Forsyth was also named the Golfweek Women's Coach of the Year once in 2011.
 

Players Mentioned

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