It's not often an opportunity presents itself such as the No. 2 UCLA women's golf team choking on the final day of a tournament.
But that's just what occurred Wednesday in the third and final round of the Pac-10 Championships at the Oro Valley Country Club in Tucson, and No. 3 ASU could not capitalize.
The event was billed as a two-team race for first place between the rivals, and it lived up to it. The Sun Devils led the Bruins by four strokes after the opening round Monday, shooting a 1-under 287. ASU blew up Tuesday, shooting a 299 to fall eight strokes behind UCLA.
But on Wednesday, when the Bruins shot a 13-over 301, the Sun Devils could only muster a 294, and finished second by one stroke with a three-day total of 880.
"The fact that we got back to even in the middle of the round and, I believe, took the lead for a short period of time pleased me," ASU coach Melissa Luellen said. "Our main focus of every round is to finish the last five holes even par. We didn't do that today, obviously. We faltered down the stretch. This hurts, but we know what we're capable of."
Individually, the Sun Devils enjoyed a career performance by senior Alissa Kuczka, who shot a 1-under 71 Wednesday, putting her three-day total at 215, good enough for second-place overall.
"I was playing really well today," she said. "I know a couple of my teammates were really cheering me on. It hurts to lose by one shot, but things happen like that."
Junior Tiffany Tavee enjoyed her finest round of the tournament Wednesday by shooting a 71, rebounding from a 77 the day before to put her total at 221 and finishing 10th. Freshman Azahara Munoz was off on the final day with 77, but her tournament total of 220 still placed her in a four-way tie for sixth.
Freshman Jennifer Osborn scored a 75 Wednesday, putting her three-day total at 227 for an eight-way tie for 19th place. ASU's No. 5 player, junior Charmaine Erasmus shot her worst round of the tournament, an 80, to finish with 235 in a four-way tie for 34th out of the 50 participants in the event.
Washington's Paige Mackenzie shot a 69 Wednesday to win the individual championship with 211 total strokes.
Luellen was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year in the opinion of the conference's coaches following the final round Wednesday.
"I would have rather won the Pac-10 trophy," she said.
Munoz and Osborn were also named to the All-Pac-10 First Team.
Reach the reporter at drex1_phx@hotmail.com.
