FAIRFAX, Calif. – After playing a divergent first two rounds on Monday, California played the best golf of the day during the third round of the Juli Inkster Invitational at Meadow Club on Tuesday.
 
Cal sat in eighth place after the first round of Monday's action, but shot 286 in the second round to move up to fifth. The Bears continued that momentum in the third round as they totaled 288 and moved up three places to claim their third silver medalist finish of the 2018-19 season, having previously done so at the Pac-12 Preview and the Gunrock Classic. This was the second consecutive runner-up finish for the Bears as they ended the tournament two shots behind Rutgers.  
 
It was a well-balanced effort for the Bears as four student-athletes finished within the top-20. Cindy Oh led the way as she finished at par for the tournament, getting better in every round she played. Oh notched a 73 and a 72 in the first round, before shooting a 71 in the final round. That helped Oh move from 12th into a tie for fifth on the leaderboard. It was her fourth top-10 finish of the season.
 
Marianne Li recorded an 8-over 80 in the first round. Since that point, the senior was sensational, shooting 7-under over the following two rounds. That concluded with a 2-under 70 in the final round on Tuesday. Li recorded three birdies as she climbed 13 spots on the leaderboard to finish in a tie for eighth, her best finish of the season.
 
"Marianne started to believe a little bit," Head Coach Nancy McDaniel said. "She rolled in a couple of good putts early today, which really got her running. She had a breakthrough this week, sometimes it takes an 80 round to turn it around for you. She has kept her foot on the accelerator and showed a lot of bravery and courage."
 
Amina Wolf was another climber as the senior moved up 11 spots in the final round to finish in a tie for 16^th. The native of Germany finished the day with a par score of 72 as she notched four birdies, including three on par-4 holes. Freshman Katherine Zhu was one of the players tied with Wolf as she finished the tournament shooting a 4-over 76. This was Zhu's sixth-consecutive top 25 finish.
 
"Amina has had a couple of really good rounds in the last two tournaments," McDaniel stated. "She closed with two birdies over the last four holes. Yesterday, she had one mishap but didn't let it get to her. She's really grinding out there and playing well."
 
Maria Herraez Galvez rounded out the Cal lineup as she finished in a tie for 43rd with an 11-over 227 across three rounds. Herraez Galvez shot her best round of the tournament in the final 18 with a 75 mark. Sofia Lundell equaled that mark with a final round 75 which saw the Swede finish in a tie for 61^st.
 
"This result leaves us wanting more, we've got some fine-tuning to do," McDaniel said. "Our starts have been a little surprising. But they come have persevered and shown what Cal Golf is all about. We just have to put three rounds together consistently. I'm proud of our team for staying in it the last two weeks and working until the end."
 
Cal will not have much time to recuperate as they will hit the course next week for the SDSU March Mayhem at the Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe. It will be the Bears' fourth tournament in the past five weeks.  
 
Team Results:
2. California, 296+286+288=870 (+6)
 
Individual Results:
T5. Cindy Oh, 73+72+71=216 (E)
T8. Marianne Li, 80+67+70=217 (+1)
T16. Katherine Zhu, 73+72+76=221 (+5)
T16. Amina Wolf, 74+75+72=221 (+5)
T43. Maria Herraez Galvez, 76+76+75=227 (+11)
*T61. Sofia Lundell, 78+81+75=234 (+18)
*Playing as an individual