Men's Golf

Finigan Tilly placed in the top 10 and the Bears in the top half of the field as a team for the first time all season at the Western Intercollegiate.

Tilly and the Bears will try to find consistency in their lineup and establish confidence heading into the weekend at Pasatiempo.

With two tournaments left in its already abbreviated spring season, Cal men’s golf is beginning to gain ground in what can only be defined as a lesson of a campaign.

“Golf is such a great sport because it always tests you. It tests how you respond to expectations, how you respond under pressure. Today was another test. We failed the test. But we have to grow from it,” said head coach Walter Chun.

Though it’s just the second tournament of the season, the Bears’ upcoming event Feb. 15-17 will be chock-full of Pac-12 talent, making it an important early season round.

While Cal didn’t capitalize on the novelty of a new season as a team, freshmen Aaron Du and Sampson Zheng finished first and second, respectively, for the Bears, signaling a new cohesiveness and promising talent for the season ahead.

Though the premature end to last spring’s season of improvement was a blow to Cal men’s golf, the team is working in the offseason to return to form.

Not only did Morikawa set Cal records, but he also became the third-youngest winner of the PGA Championship at just 23 years old — capturing the title at the same age Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus did.

Cal found much needed success in San Diego. Cal’s director of men’s golf Walter Chun uses old stats to highlight the importance of par fives.

The Bears’ focus in the Lamkin San Diego Classic is to start strong and break their habit of poor first rounds. San Diego is home to four of Cal’s golfers.