From Oct. 13 to 15, Cal played in the exclusive St Andrews Links Collegiate in Scotland — which is often referred to as the “home of golf.” The Bears played against Princeton, Michigan State and the University of St Andrews on the Old Course and the Jubilee Course.
After a lackluster first day of play and sitting in third place, Cal turned its play around dramatically, shooting 7-below par and taking first place in stroke play. This performance advanced the Bears into the championship medal match play, in which they faced Princeton.
Still, Cal was unable to claim the St Andrews championship win, with the Tigers besting the Bears 2-4 on the final day of the tournament.
The blue and gold’s first day of play was not up to par with the team’s expectations as they shot even, a mark that left them trailing Princeton by three strokes and Michigan State by four strokes in the standings.
Despite their initial setback — in a similar manner to previous tournaments this season — the Bears completely changed the trajectory of their play. Cal dominated the second round of stroke play, shooting 7-under par and capturing a first-place stroke play finish. This mark was the best total score from any team in either round.
The Bears’ second-round excellence was a collective effort from all Cal golfers who contributed to the total score that round.
Redshirt junior Charlie Bundy led the charge, shooting four-below-par, the second-best score out of all golfers that round. Daniel Heo, Xihuan Chang and Sihao Cong all shot 1-under par, further contributing to their tournament turnaround.
The Bears had a total of four golfers finish in the top 10 individually for stroke play, which was the most of any school in the event.
Bundy’s strong performance led to him finishing in second place individually. He was followed by Heo, who shot 3-under par to finish in fourth place. Chang finished tied for sixth, with Ziqin Zhou behind him tied in ninth.
Moving into the championship round, the format and location differed from the first two days of play.
The championship was played on the Old Course, and instead of stroke play, the Bears played in a head-to-head format against Princeton. This format entails one-on-one matchups between players from each school, and the winner of each matchup receives a point that is added to the team’s total score.
On the final day, Cal was unable to top the Tigers’ excellent showing. Despite losing 2-4, the Bears put up a couple of notable performances in the championship round.
Bundy was clearly able to maintain his momentum from stroke play, winning his match handily by shooting 1-under par — a score that was six strokes ahead of Princeton’s Charlie Palmer. Bundy did not trail at any point during his head-to-head game.
Cal’s only other point came from Zhou, who won his matchup by four strokes, shooting 3-under par. This mark tied him for the best individual score in the championship round, with Princeton’s Reed Greyserman being the only other player to shoot 3-below par.
Greyserman was a clear standout throughout all three days of play. The Tiger claimed the individual title due to his dominance in stroke play, shooting an excellent 8-under par and a dominant second-round performance where he shot 6-under par.
Greyserman also contributed a point to Princeton’s win in medal match-play, defeating Cal’s Heo by an eight-stroke margin, the greatest margin out of all six matchups.
The Bears will have an opportunity to build upon their St Andrews performance in 10 days, when they will travel to another location known for its golf history: Carmel. Cal will play in The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate, beginning Oct. 27.
