No. 3 USC claimed victory this year with a score of 9-under par – beginning and ending the tournament as frontrunners. UCLA started off strong in eighth place but fell to 10th the second day and ultimately dropped to where it finished in 11th.

“It was a little tough, but we all know what we need to work on now,” said senior Natalie Vo. “We’re going to try to be better for our home tournament in Valencia in the next few weeks.”

Vo shot even on the final day for the Bruins’ best round over the three-day tournament, putting up four birdies on the day, which allowed her to climb 14 spots to finish 48th overall. Even with her solid final day, Vo finished third among her team with 9-over par.

“Going into the last day, there wasn’t really anything to lose at that point,” Vo said. “So I tried to go in with a clear mindset and just tried to play that kind of golf because at that point, it was just trying to play as best as I could.”

Senior Caroline Canales led the Bruins’ overall performance, tying for 21st at 4-over par with round scores of 72-72-73. She also tapped in two birdies during the final round of play.

Despite Canales’ solid performance, the small greens and substantial amount of bunkers at the Palos Verdes Golf Club proved to be a challenge for the Bruins.

Along with the tough course and underwhelming performances, the Bruins seemed to reel in the wake of Campos’ departure – this was their first tournament without their two-time WGCA First Team All-American star and two-time All-Pac-12 First Team member. Following a decorated career in Westwood, Campos retired from collegiate golf to prepare for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Last season, UCLA defeated Baylor in the Therese Hession Regional Challenge but lost to Florida and USC in the tournament. Vo and Canales – who were crucial this year as well – contributed to the effort in Palos Verdes last season, going 1-1-1 and 2-1, respectively.

In the individual section, Campos defeated Pepperdine’s Yingzhi Zhu, Clemson’s Ivy Schulze and Ohio State’s Emily Hummer to remain undefeated through the tournament.

Though the Bruins struggled without their veteran, Vo said their gaze has veered toward the Bruin Wave Invitational in two weeks.

“I think it’s going to be fun to be able to play on one of our home courses, and I’m excited to get out there,” Vo said. “So I think we’re all preparing for that and learning from our mistakes at PV (Palos Verdes), and just excited for what’s to come.”