Bears Host Molly Collegiate Invitational

SEASIDE – The Cal women's golf team travels down the coast this week to host the Molly Collegiate Invitational at Bayonet and Black Horse in Seaside.

The Bears are part of the 14-team field that will play 54 holes Monday and Tuesday on the par-72, 6,218-yard course that lies along the Monterey Bay.

"We feel at home there, which is always a good thing," Cal head coach Nancy McDaniel said. "We don't have to get on a plane, which takes the toll off of travel."

The Bears were able to hold a recent qualifying round at Bayonet, and senior Katherine Zhu won the 2020 Fall Invitational there almost exactly one year ago. Teammates Mika Jin and Kristine Tran also played in that tournament, which was created when the Molly Collegiate Invitational was wiped out due to COVID-19.

"I have a lot of good memories associated with this tournament," Zhu said. "I definitely rely on memories to give myself a boost. It's just nice that I can look back and hold on to something good."

Cal is coming off its season-opening tournament at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational at the University of New Mexico, where the Bears placed 10th out of 16 teams. Zhu and freshman Jieming Yang were the team's top individual performers, placing in a tie for 26th (out of 93) at 4-over par.

Zhu heads into the tournament as the Bears' top qualifier. Junior Jasmine Lew makes her season-debut after working her way into the lineup at No. 5. Cal will have all of its healthy players competing, with three participating as individuals.

"It's always good having the whole team there," McDaniel said. "They are always full of team energy. We don't get many opportunities like this, so it's nice to have everyone there and get those tournament reps in."

The tournament features two nationally ranked teams in No. 5 Stanford and No. 24 UCLA. Fellow Pac-12 opponent Oregon State is also competing.

The Bears tee off at 8 a.m. PT Monday, which will feature the first 36 holes of the tournament.

CAL'S LINEUP:
1. Katherine Zhu
2. Mika Jin
3. Eun Soo Jeon
4. Jieming Yang
5. Jasmine Lew
Individuals: Elena Arias, Cristina Ochoa, Kristine Tran