The women’s golf Pac-10 Championships provide a chance for teams to come together to prove who is the best in the West.

For two teams in the competition, this is not only about fighting for No. 1 in the conference but also in the nation.

Two weeks ago, USC was the country’s No. 1 women’s golf team, and UCLA was No. 2. But after UCLA’s victory over USC earlier this month at the PING/ASU Invitational, the rankings have flipped, with the Bruins holding onto No. 1, over the Women of Troy, by a thread.

Coach Carrie Forsyth made it clear before the last tournament that UCLA had to defeat USC in its next two competitions to be granted the top seed in the NCAA Tournament in May.

Both teams will return to the same golf course in Tempe, Ariz., where the Bruins took first place over the Women of Troy, to face off and see who will snag the top seed. Whoever ends up on top is guaranteed playing in the West for regionals, but whoever ends up No. 2 risks getting shipped out to some other part of the country to play.

The Bruins have some advantages going into their second tournament in a row at the Karsten Golf Course. The team has taken the chance to perfect any small mistakes it made last time on a golf course that has, historically, treated them well.

“We all really like the golf course, it gives us a lot of confidence. … But we do have to remember that it’s a new tournament and to play every hole the best we can,” freshman Ani Gulugian said.

The Pac-10 Tournament and the chance for a national top seed are already exciting enough; the addition of battling a historical rival gives the team even more enthusiasm to win.

USC and UCLA often compete for the same recruits, according to Forsyth, and many of the girls on each team know one another, as each team has several players from the Southern California area.

Gulugian is one of the players who was recruited by both UCLA and USC.

“I’m friends with the girls on the ’SC team. … The rivalry’s different for me because I did consider going there,” Gulugian said. “Now that I’m here, I’ve definitely been influenced, and I see what a big rivalry it is.”

Both teams have excelled in past years, and this year is no different, as both have remained in the top three all season.

“It’s pretty competitive between us. … It’s a friendly rivalry in that it’s the world of golf, it’s not quite football or basketball, but at the same time there’s extra excitement and extra intensity involved,” Forsyth said.

The team will play the same golfers who have made up the past several spring season lineups: Gulugian, sophomore Tiffany Lua, junior Stephanie Kono, redshirt sophomore Lee Lopez and senior Glory Yang.

“We’ll really be fighting for that spot,” Lua said. “It’s fun.”