Erica Blasberg UA freshman golfer

A rain-soaked Thursday dropped the sixth-ranked Wildcats to fourth place after the opening round of the Pac-10 Championships in Oregon.

The UA golfers battled a little of everything, from rain to wind to even a little hail during the front nine.

After all the putts were tapped in, Arizona finished with an 11-over par 299, good for seven shots out of the lead, which was held tightly by California after two Golden Bear golfers shot in the red figures.

"It was cold and wet," head coach Greg Allen said. "It rained all day (on Wednesday) and the temperature hasn't been over 55 degrees the whole week. It started raining about 11:30 (yesterday) and it seemed to get colder as the day progressed."

The weather wasn't the only thing that haunted the Wildcats' first round, as they did something that has become their Achilles heal all year ÷ finishing a round.

"We were leading after 11 or 12 holes, but California played well all day and we just didn't finish the way we should have," Allen said.

The Pac-10 Player of the Year hopeful, Erica Blasberg, played another solid round, canceling out her three bogeys with three birdies and letting the rest of the teams know that she wasn't going to be fazed by the pressure of her first conference championship.

"It was a solid round," Allen said. "Erica told me on the 17th hole that when she plays a golf course for the first time in competition she never really feels comfortable, so look for her to have a good (second round)."

Even with the nerves being a problem, the freshman shot even par and finished in a tie for fifth place, two shots off the lead.

Senior Laura Myerscough looked to match Blasberg's even par round, but late bogeys dropped her to a 3-over par 75 and into a tie for 14th with fellow Arizona senior Anna Lee.

"Laura bogeyed the last hole, but played mostly a solid round," Allen said. "She hit a bad chip on 18 and had a 3-putt coming in, but other than that, she was impressive."

With rain causing the rough at the Trysting Tree Golf Club to grow thicker and thicker, the next two rounds will put a premium on hitting the fairways.

"The key to this golf course is hitting the fairways," Allen said. "The rough is thick and you have no chance of hitting the greens from the rough."

The women's team will continue play today in Corvallis, Ore. as they try to set themselves up to win Arizona's fourth straight Pac-10 title.