April 19, 2008

STANFORD, Calif. - The California men's golf team had a very strong opening day at the U.S Intercollegiate Championship on Saturday, shooting its way to fourth-place in the 17-team field at the par-70, 6,742-yard Stanford Golf Course. Cal is ahead of five ranked teams in the day one standings. The event wraps up on Sunday with teams teeing off at 7:30 a.m.

Second-ranked USC, which shot a blistering 266 (-14) in the opening round, leads the event with a 554 (-6) after two rounds. Host Stanford, ranked No. 11 in the country, is in second place with a 572 (+12), while third-ranked UCLA is third at 574 (+14). Cal's 577 (+17) slots the Bears into fourth place and UC Irvine rounds out the top five with a 581 (+21).

"We played really well," Cal head coach Steve Desimone said. "We struggled finishing the afternoon round, but we played great overall. We had [wind] gusts up to 50 miles an hour, and what was really tough was that it was swirling at times. That is tough because you can't get a consistent read on what the ball will do in the air. The kids did all the right things, made good decisions, and we made some good putts. Hats off to SC, that is one of the best days I've seen. We played well and I'm really proud of the kids We battled all day. It's a big day for us tomorrow, no doubt about it."

Leading the way for the Golden Bears is freshman Stephen Hale, who followed up an opening round 72 with an even-par 70 in the second round, with just two bogeys in the round. The 70 was the second-best round in the afternoon 18. His overall 142 (+2) places him in a tie for sixth-place overall.

"Stephen played well all day," Desimone said. "The 70 this afternoon was a fabulous round. This course played so hard in the afternoon. He just did what he usually does; he's real steady and he hit the ball well. He thought himself around the golf course very well today."

Junior George Gandranata was red-hot in the morning, connecting on four birdies on route to a minus-two 68, the third-best round of the day. He is currently in a tie for 10th place with a 143 (+3). Sophomore Evan Derian is tied for 21st with a 145 (+5) after a consistent day at 73-72. Brandon Beck tallied a 72 in the afternoon round to climb to 28th place with a 147 (+7). Freshman Erica Mina rounded out the Bear lineup with a 154 (+14).

This event is the final regular-season tournament for the Golden Bears who will host the Pac-10 Championships from April 28-30 at the Meadow Club in Fairfax, Calif.

CALIFORNIA SCORING
U.S. Intercollegiate (Hosted by Stanford)
Stanford Golf Course (Par 70, 6,835 yards)
Stanford, Calif.

Team Place: 4th (of 17 teams) - after day one
Score: 288-289 - 577 (+17)

Individuals:
T6. Stephen Hale: 72-70 - 142 (+2)
T10. George Gandranata: 68-75 - 143 (+3)
T21. Evan Derian: 73-72 - 145 (+5)
T28. Brandon Beck: 75-72 - 147 (+7)
T66. Eric Mina: 76-78 - 154 (+14)

Team Standings:
1. USC: 266-288 - 554 (-6)
2. Stanford: 279-293 - 572 (+12)
3. UCLA: 284-290 - 574 (+14)
4. California: 288-289 - 577 (+17)
5. UC Irvine: 285-296 - 581 (+21)
6. San Diego State: 285-298 - 583 (+23)
7. Arizona State: 286-298 - 584 (+24)
8. Oregon State: 291-299 - 590 (+30)
9. Oregon: 287-305 - 592 (+25)
10. UC Davis: 293-303 - 596 (+36)
11. Toledo: 295-302 - 597 (+37)
12. Washington: 298-300 - 598 (+38)
13. TCU: 294-308 - 602 (+42)
14. San Jose State: 302-301 (+43)
15. Minnesota: 300-304 - 604 (+44)
16. Nevada: 307-301 - 608 (+21)
17. Northern Colorado: 316-324 - 640 (+44)