Cal Sixth After First Day Of Arizona Intercollegiate
TUCSON, AZ – Cal (286-288 – 574, +6) is in sixth place following the first day of action at the Arizona Intercollegiate being hosted by Arizona at the par-71, 7,262-yard Sewailo Golf Club. The Golden Bears were one of the 11 teams in the 15-team field to finish 36 holes before darkness suspended play with four teams still on the course.
Cal will begin Tuesday’s third and final round 11 shots behind leader Arizona State (286-277 – 563, -5), who also completed 36 holes on Monday. Iowa State (-2) and UTEP (+1) are second and third in the standings after the first day but both still have golf to play in the second round. New Mexico (286-284 – 570, +2) and Arizona (294-278 – 572) are the other teams ahead of the Bears.
“It was not our finest hour,” head coach Steve Desimone said. “We had some good moments and some tough moments. I was very proud of the way our players competed and we made a couple of good runs, but we just couldn’t sustain anything. Being down 11 shots is a lot but it’s not insurmountable and I think that we’ll play better tomorrow.”
Shotaro Ban (70-70 – 140, -2) led Cal’s effort Monday and will enter the final day of the event Tuesday tied for seventh place and five strokes behind leader Max Rottluff (70-65 – 135, -7) of Arizona State. Ban had a consistent day especially in the first round with one birdie on the par-three 15th and 17 pars. He had three birdies on a pair of par-fours (9, 11) and a par-five (14) to go with two bogeys on a par-five (10) and par-four (17) during his second round.
Ban, who played in last year’s NCAA Championship and is the only Cal player with experience at that event, was competing for only the second time in 2014-15 and the first time since the fall opener last September.
“It’s great to be back out here but even better to be around the guys and competing with them,” Ban said. “This is what I practice for every day and for the work to pay off is everything that I can ask for. I’m just thankful for the opportunity the coaches have given me.”
“We’re going to need Shotaro to play well for us,” Desimone said. “There’s a scenario for us where this team can be very good and part of that scenario is that Shotaro has got to play the way he did today.”
Ben Doyle (70-73 – 143, +1) and KK Limbhasut (71-72 – 143, +1) are tied for 15th place three shots behind Ban and eight off the lead. Limbhasut had a team-high eight birdies on the day with four in each round but also had seven bogeys and one double bogey. His first-round birdies were on a trio of par-fours (9, 12, 16) and one par-three (13). He also birdied the 12th hole during his second round as well as the par-four second, par-three third and par-five10th.
Both rounds shot by Cameron Shaw (75-73 – 148, +6) also counted in the team score and he is in a tie for 48th place. Shaw’s six birdies were offset by eight bogeys and two double bogeys. Keelan Kilpatrick (78-84 – 162, +20) is tied for 88th after managed three birdies while making 14 bogeys, three double bogeys and one triple bogey. Alexander Wilson (75-72 – 147) is playing the event as an individual and tied for 40th. Wilson had five birdies, six bogeys and two double bogeys.
“The team played pretty steady today,” Ban said. “We started off pretty strong but struggled a little bit towards the end. The freshmen really carried us through today and the rest of the team hung tough. If we play well early tomorrow, hopefully we will be back in the mix at the end of the day.”
Cal will play in foursomes along with players from Arizona, Arizona State and New Mexico during Tuesday’s action that will include the conclusion of the second round as well as third and final round of action beginning with a shotgun start at 8 am MST/7 am PST.
ARIZONA INTERCOLLEGIATE (HOSTED BY ARIZONA)
TUCSON, AZ
SEWAILO GOLF CLUB (PAR-71, 7262 YARDS)
TEAM LEADERBOARD (after 1 of 2 days)*
*Play suspended due to darkness with 11 of 15 teams completing second-round action in three-round event
1. Arizona State (286-277 – 563, -5)
*2. Iowa State (287-268 – 555, -2)
*3. UTEP (283-275 – 558, +1)
4. New Mexico (286-284 – 570, +2)
5. Arizona (294-278 – 572, +4)
6. Cal (286-288 – 574, +6)
7. McNeese State (294-283 – 577, +9)
T8. Pacific (288-291 – 579, +11)
*T8. Pepperdine (299-261 – 560, +11)
*T8. BYU (293-271 – 564, +11)
11. New Mexico State (293-293 – 586, +18)
12. Seattle U (293-296 – 589, +21)
13. Delaware (302-293 – 595, +27)
T14. Cal State Fullerton (299-298 – 597, +29)
T14. Loyola Marymount (298-299 – 597, +29)
PLAYER LEADERBOARD – INDIVIDUAL LEADER (after 1 of 2 days)*
*Play suspended due to darkness with 11 of 15 teams completing second-round action in three-round event
1. Max Rottluff (Arizona State) 70-65 – 135 (-7)
PLAYER LEADERBOARD – CAL INDIVIDUALS (after 1 of 2 days)*
*Play suspended due to darkness with 11 of 15 teams completing second-round action in three-round event
T7. Shotaro Ban 70-70 – 140 (-2)
T15. Ben Doyle 70-73 – 143 (+1)
T15. KK Limbhasut 71-72 – 143 (+1)
T48. Cameron Shaw 75-73 – 148 (+6)
88. Keelan Kilpatrick 78-84 – 162 (+20)