California men’s golf closed out the Isleworth Collegiate on Tuesday afternoon, placing ninth as a team while freshman Tony Chen and sophomore Sampson Zheng tied for 18th.
“This week was good in a lot of respects as we had some really good rounds from the guys,” Assistant Coach Chris Massoletti said. “This course is tough with firm, fast greens and tucked pin locations that can entice you into some poor decisions. We really did a good job for the most part sticking to our game plan and being patient.”
Chen’s 71 (-1) strokes was the Bears’ lowest score in Tuesday’s third and final round. After collecting four birdies in today’s round, he was able to improve 10 spots in the standings from a tie for 28th to a tie for 18th. Tied for 18th alongside Chen was Zheng who shot a 75 (+3) on Tuesday. The pair both finished with 218 (+2) strokes overall.
The final two Cal scorers were senior Finigan Tilly and sophomore Aaron Du. Tilly finished the first two rounds one under par, but a difficult final round placed him in a tie for 45th with 225 (+9) overall strokes. Du continued to progress throughout the tournament, improving his score each round and ultimately finished 67th with a combined score of 232 (+16).
“The first round, we had three guys under par which was really good; unfortunately the other two guys struggled and we were one scorer away from posting a great round,” Massoletti said. “The rest of the tournament, it felt like we never had our best stuff and were constantly playing from behind after rough starts. To their credit, they kept it together on the back nine both days and never gave up. Really solid performances from both Sampson [Zheng] and Tony [Chen] to place inside the top 20 in a strong field.”
With their fall season now at an end, the Bears will return to Berkeley with their sights set on the spring season next semester.
“There’s no doubt these guys are learning and getting better each week,” Massoletti said. “Our job is to keep that up in this offseason and be ready to go come January.”
To follow Cal men’s golf this season, visit CalBears.com, or follow the team on Twitter, and Instagram.