Three, five, seven and 13 are not just prime numbers.

They are also the places in which the Cal men's golf team has finished over the span of its erratic season.

The Bears are hoping that, after this weekend at the U.S. Intercollegiate held at the Stanford Golf Course, their ongoing struggle for consistency will yield desirable results.

How likely is such a quick transformation?

It seems the only consistency the Bears have had this season is their frustration with leaving tournaments wondering what went wrong.

For most of the season, the team has relied on its solid ball striking and has established terrific greens-in-regulation statistics. For Cal, the most difficult puzzle has been putting.

"In order of importance, we struggle most with green reading, speed and finally the putting stroke itself," coach Steve Desimone said. "It's easy to lose confidence after you miss a few putts, and I think that has been our main problem. It's cyclical."

The spring season has seen the Bears become paralyzed once they step onto the putting green. But this weekend could be very different.

Cal might have a leg up in this event simply because it understands the conditions of Bay Area courses like the Stanford Golf Course-how the wind changes affect club yardage and how the marine layer affects the speed of putting greens.

The Bears have won the event twice and finished third last year.

"Though the spring has not gone as we expected, we have a good history at Stanford, so hopefully it will help us gain some momentum for the NCAA championships," senior George Gandranata said.

But consider what the Bears must endure at the Intercollegiate.

Seven top-20 teams will be featured in the 17-team field at Stanford this weekend. In addition, the 6,727-yard, par-70 course includes a very tight design with exceptionally small greens, putting a premium on accuracy, shot-making and scrambling rather than on distance.

Cal is hoping for a strong start on the opening hole. Although the fairway of the 521-yard, par-5 hole is relatively narrow and the green is well-protected by multiple sand traps, it should be reachable in two shots. And for the Bears, a birdie or par right off the bat could jump-start their confidence for the entire round.

At the ASU Thunderbird Invitational last week, Cal finished in 13th place. With dilemmas on the putting green and poor decision-making off the tee and from the fairways, the Bears' only standout performance came from junior John Murphy, whose 1-under finish earned him seventh place overall.

The first and second rounds of the Intercollegiate will be played continuously on Saturday, beginning with a shotgun start.

Tags: CAL MEN'S GOLF, STEVE DESIMONE