Whittier Narrows Golf Course
June 13, 2013
Courtesy of Pac-12 Conference
LOS ANGELES – California didn’t need extra holes to claim its second consecutive Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championship. The Golden Bears, who defeated Oregon in a playoff to win their first-ever Conference title in 2012, shot even par in the final round at the Los Angeles Country Club Wednesday and posted a decisive win. Cal senior Max Homa won the Pac-12 individual title, becoming the third Bear to claim medalist honors.
California, which entered the final round of competition with a two-stroke lead over UCLA, posted a 350—the lowest score of the day—to widen the gap. The Bears shot a 6-over 1406 for the Championship and earned a nine-stroke victory. Homa carded a 1-over 69, and junior Michael Weaver shot a 2-under 68 to pace the Bears on the final day.
“It’s a sweet feeling,” Cal head coach Steve Desimone said. “And to know that we’ve defended the Conference Championship in the best conference in the country, this is the best team on the planet. What more can I tell you? It’s a sweet feeling.”
UCLA had positioned itself for a run at the team title after an outstanding third round, but the Bruins were unable keep pace with Cal on the final day. They posted a 7-over 357 for a four-round total of 1415 (15-over) and finished in second place. Washington finished third at 32-over (1432).
The Huskies had a pair of top-five finishers in senior Chris Williams and junior Trevor Simsby, who finished tied for third and tied for fifth, respectively. Simsby shot a 2-under 68 in the final round to match the best score of the day.
Homa, who set a course record with a 9-under 61 in round one, shot a 1-under 69 in round four to grab medalist honors with a 9-under 271 (61-70-71-69). He is the third Bear to claim the individual championship and is the first do so since Eric Mina won the title in 2010. The Pac-12 Championship was Homa’s first tournament victory of the season.
“It’s just perfect timing,” Homa said. “I’m sure I’ve been grumpy about seconds all year, but it’s all worth it if I can win this one. It’s great timing for the team, as well, just to go into regionals and nationals with a win here. It just feels very validating.”
Weaver finished in second at 4-under 276, while Williams fired a 2-under 278 to finish in a tie for third with UCLA junior Anton Arboleda. Arboleda carded his second straight par to remain at 2-under (69-69-70-70–278) for the Championship. Simsby and UCLA freshman Jonathan Garrick tied for fifth at 1-under 279.
Cal’s victory at the Pac-12 Championship was its tenth of the year, matching the unofficial NCAA record for tournament wins in a season set by Oklahoma State in 1985-86.
“Its overwhelming, in all honesty,” Desimone said. “All the great teams, to be a part of that type of a record, and to know that we have a chance to stand alone, it really is overwhelming. If there’s a team that deserves it, it’s this group of phenomenal young men.”
Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships - Final Team Results
(Round 1 Score – Round 2 Score – Round 3 Score – Round 4 Score – Final)
1. California 338-357-361-350 1406 (+6)
2. UCLA 346-358-354-357 1415 (+15)
3. Washington 349-360-369-354 1432 (+32)
4. Stanford 366-361-365-362 1454 (+54)
5. Arizona State 368-362-354-372 1456 (+56)
6. Oregon 362-370-369-372 1473 (+73)
7. USC 368-368-374-370 1480 (+80)
8. Arizona 369-370-375-372 1486 (+86)
9. Oregon State 368-362-380-376 1486 (+86)
10. Colorado 370-360-380-377 1487 (+87)
11. Washington State 376-379-361-382 1498 (+98)
12. Utah 358-371-393-391 1513 (+113)
Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships - Final Individuals Results (Top 10)
(Round 1 Score – Round 2 Score – Round 3 Score – Round 4 Score – Final)
1. Max Homa, California 61-70-71-69 271 (-9)
2. Michael Weaver, California 65-69-74-68 276 (-4)
3. Anton Arboleda, UCLA 69-69-70-70 278 (-2)
4. Chris Williams, Washington 68-68-72-70 278 (-2)
5. Trevor Simsby, Washington 68-72-71-68 279 (-1)
6. Jonathan Garrick, UCLA 68-68-71-72 279 (-1)
7. Max Rottluff, Arizona State 67-73-68-74 282 (+2)
8. Pontus Widegren, UCLA 68-75-71-68 282 (+2)
9. Cameron Wilson, Stanford 71-70-69-73 283 (+3)
10. John Rahm, Arizona State 75-67-68-75 285 (+5)
UCLA cuts into Cal's lead
Courtesy of Pac-12 Championship
LOS ANGELES - California holds the 54-hole lead heading into the fourth and final round of the Pac-12 Golf Championship at The Los Angeles CC in Los Angeles, but host UCLA sharply cut into the Golden Bears’ lead in the third round Tuesday.
Cal, which carried a nine-stroke lead after 36 holes, carded an 11-over 361 in the third round and sits at 1056 (6-over) for the Pac-12 Championship. The Bears hold a two-stroke advantage over UCLA (8-over, 1058) and are 22 strokes up on third-place Washington (28-over, 1078).
UCLA picked up seven strokes on the leaders after posting a 4-over 354 to match the low round of the day.
“We really just hung tough,” UCLA head coach Derek Freeman said. “The guys played an incredible back nine and caught some shots, made putts, did exactly what we needed to do. We just needed to close that gap, and now its just a one-day race.”
Arizona State, which also shot a 4-over 354 and climbed two spots in the team standings, sits in fourth place. The Sun Devils were paced by freshmen Max Rottluff and Jon Rahm, each of whom shot a 2-under 68 for the round. Rottluff (67-73-68–208, -2) is in a four-way tie for third place, while Rahm (75-67-78–210, Even) is tied for seventh after three rounds.
[Related Video: Leader Max Homa of Cal discusses round three play]
Cal senior and Valencia CC member Max Homa shot a 1-over 71 and is 8-under (61-70-71–202) for the Pac-12 Championship. He holds a five stroke lead over UCLA freshman Jonathan Garrick, who sits at 3-under (68-68-71–207) after posting a 1-over 71 in round three. Garrick entered the round in a tie for third place.
“I brought it back at the end,” Garrick said of his round. “I made a lot of putts, and I was playing with two of the best players in college golf, so to go toe-to-toe with them for 18 holes was pretty encouraging.”
UCLA’s Anton Arboleda (pictured) (69-69-70–208), who opened his round with four birdies on the front nine, is tied for third with Rottluff, Michael Weaver of California (65-69-74–208) and Chris Williams of Washington (68-68-72–208). Rahm and Stanford’s Cameron Wilson (71-70-69–210) are tied for seventh.
California, which is chasing its unofficial NCAA record of 10 tournament victories this season, knows a thing about finishing strong.
“We didn’t play as well as we would have liked to today,” Weaver said. “But we’re still in good position, and we’ve just got to remind ourselves that if we have a good round tomorrow, we’ll have a pretty good chance of winning this.”
The Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships conclude with the final round on Sunday at 8 a.m.
Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships – Team Scores Rounds 1,2 & 3
(Round 1 Score – Round 2 Score – Round 3 Score – Day 2 Total)
1. California 338-357-361-1056 (+6)
2. UCLA 346-358-354-1058 (+8)
3. Washington 349-360-369-1078 (+28)
4. Arizona State 368-362-354-1084 (+34)
5. Stanford 366-361-365-1092 (+42)
6. Oregon 362-370-369-1101 (+51)
7. Oregon State 368-362-380-1110 (+60)
8. Colorado 370-360-380-1110 (+60)
9. USC 368-368-374-1110 (+60)
10. Arizona 369-370-375-1114 (+64)
11. Washington State 376-379-361- (1116 +66)
12. Utah 358-371-393- 1122 (+72)
Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships – Individuals (Top 10) – Rounds 1, 2 & 3
(Round 1 Score – Round 2 Score – Round 3 Score – Day 2 Total)
1. Max Homa, California 61-70-71-202 (-8)
2. Jonathan Garrick, UCLA 68-68-71-207 (-3)
3. Anton Arboleda, UCLA 69-69-70-208 (-2)
4. Max Rottluff, Arizona State 67-73-68-208 (-2)
5. Michael Weaver, California 65-69-74-208 (-2)
6. Chris Williams, Washington 68-68-72-208 (E)
7. Jon Rahm, Arizona State 75-67-68-210 (E)
8. Cameron Wilson, Stanford 71-70-69-210 (+1)
9. Trevor Simsby, Washington 68-72-71-211 (+3)
10. Patrick Rodgers, Stanford 68-72-73-213 (+5)
SCGA Member Homa steals Day 1 spotlight
Courtesy of Pac-12 Conference
LOS ANGELES – The California Golden Bears lived up to their No. 1 national ranking as they posted a 5-under 695 to take the team lead after 36 holes of the Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championship at The Los Angeles CC in Los Angeles, Calif.
Cal senior and Valencia CC member Max Homa shot a 9-under 61 in the opening round to establish a new course record, a feat made more impressive by the fact that the first round scoring average was 73.29, more than three strokes above par.
“The course is playing tough today,” said LACC director of golf Jim Schaeffer. “[Homa's] round is by far the best we’ve seen here in a long time. He broke the course record by one shot. He had nine birdies and no bogeys; that’s extremely impressive.”
The Bears built a commanding lead after shooting a 12-under 338 during the morning round and weathered a 7-over 357 second-round to take a nine-stroke lead into the second day of the championship. UCLA, which posted a 4-over 174, sits in second, while Washington (9-over 709) is in third.
Cal head coach Steve Desimone is confident his squad will bounce back after a shaky second round.
“They’ll be a lot more ready to go, I think, for the third round tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll tell you, some of the guys are pretty frustrated, pretty disappointed, right now. We let a good-sized lead get away, and that has not happened with this team all year.”
Homa didn’t rest on his record-setting performance in the first round. The Valencia, Calif. native, who shot even par in round two, carded a 9-under 131 (61-70) through 36 holes to pace the field.
“I just tried to keep digging,” Homa said. “I knew after the good start in the beginning that there were 54-plus holes to go and that I couldn’t really pull off the gas. It worked really nicely.”
His teammate, junior Michael Weaver, sits in second place after firing a 6-under 134, while UCLA freshman Jonathan Garrick and Washington senior Chris Williams – each of whom shot 136 – sit in a tie for third, five strokes out of the lead. UCLA junior and 2011 SCGA Match Play Champion Anton Arboleda, who carded a two-under 138, rounds out the top five.
Oregon State junior David Fink made the biggest jump on the leader board after round two, moving from a tie for 53rd to a tie for 14th at 3-over 143. Arizona State freshman Jon Rahm posted the low score of the second round, a 3-under 67.
The Championships continue with third-round action Tuesday morning starting at 8 a.m., with the final round Wednesday at 8 a.m.
Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships – Team Scores – Rounds 1 & 2
(Round 1 Score – Round 2 Score – Day 1 Total)
1. California 338 – 357 - 695 (-5)
2. UCLA 346 – 358 - 704 (+4)
3. Washington 349 – 360 - 709 (+9)
4. Stanford 366 – 361 - 727 (+27)
5. Utah 358 – 371 - 729 (+29)
T6. Oregon State 368 – 362 - 730 (+30)
T6. Arizona State 368 – 362 – 730 (+30)
T6. Colorado 370 – 360 – 730 (+30)
9. Oregon 362 – 370 - 732 (+32)
10. USC 368 – 368 - 736 (+36)
11. Arizona 369 – 370 - 739 (+39)
12. Washington State 376 – 379 – 755 (+55)
Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships – Individuals (Top 10) – Rounds 1 & 2
(Round 1 Score – Round 2 Score – Day 1 Total)
1. Max Homa, California 61 – 70 – 131 (-9)
2. Michael Weaver, California 65 – 69 – 134 (-6)
T3. Jonathan Garrick, UCLA 68 – 68 – 136 (-4)
T3. Chris Williams, Washington 68 – 68 – 136 (-4)
5. Anton Arboleda, UCLA 69 – 69 – 138 (-2)
T6. Rak Cho, Oregon 71 – 69 – 140 (E)
T6. Philip Juel-Berg, Colorado 70 – 70 – 140 (E)
T6. Patrick Rodgers, Stanford 68 – 72 – 140 (E)
T6. Max Rottluff, Arizona State 67 – 73 – 140 (E)
T6. Trevor Simsby, Washington 68 – 72 – 140 (E)