Bears Nab Sixth at Western Intercollegiate

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – California men's golf closed out the Western Intercollegiate on Wednesday, finishing sixth with a total score of 1084 (353, 360, 371, +34). Finigan Tilly led the Bears through all three rounds, ultimately tying for ninth in the 89-person field.
 
"Playing the par fives well made a huge difference for us in the team standings," Alex and Marie Shipman Director of Men's Golf Walter Chun said. "That's really a credit to Coach Massoletti as he was on the par fives all tournament long. Also, having Finigan play as well as he did was a big step in the right direction for us. We have some time before we host the Pac-12 Championship and we have some momentum to build on heading into postseason play."
 
After shooting a 67 (-3) in the opening round to tie for first, Tilly held on to his ninth-place tie throughout the second and third rounds. On Wednesday, he closed out the tournament with 71 (+1) strokes and had an overall score of 211 (+1). The San Carlos, California native collected 11 birdies and one ace during the three-day event and tied with Lundell from BYU for the lowest average score on par fives (4.00, -9 overall).
 
Sampson Zheng finished six strokes back of Tilly (217, +7) and tied for 26th. In the final round, Zheng entered the back nine three under par after tallying four birdies in his first nine holes. However, the always-challenging final four holes ultimately forced him to shoot a 74 (+4). Zheng's average score of 4.22 on par fives was tied for the third-lowest in the tournament and his two eagles were tied for the most.

Costas Panay also finished Wednesday's third round with 74 (+4) strokes, finishing the tourney with 219 (+9) strokes and in a tie for 40th. Aaron Du and James Song were the last two scorers for Cal, placing T53 (221, +11) and 60th (223, +23) respectively.
 
As a group, the Bears led the field on par fives with an average score of 4.41. Their combined -32 on such holes was nine strokes better than the next closest team. Furthermore, Cal's three eagles overall were tied for the third-most and their 50 birdies were ranked fifth.
 
With the regular season now at a close, the Bears will look to the Pac-12 Tournament which they will host at Mayacama Golf Club in Santa Rosa, California April 26-28.
 
To follow Cal men's golf this season, visit calbears.com, or follow the team on Twitter, and Instagram.