Finigan Tilly

Sophomore Sampson Zheng produces his best collegiate career finish at the Goodwin as the rest of the lineup struggles and Cal places 15th.

Cal ties for ninth-place finish in the Lamkin San Diego Classic, as the team has a tough performance following Cabo.

From Sept. 10 to Sept. 12, the Bears faced off against 15 teams at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate to open their long-awaited return to the field.

In the last event of the season, the blue and gold put together a stellar seven-under final round to finish in seventh place.

Finigan Tilly placed in the top 10 and the Bears in the top half of the field as a team for the first time all season at the Western Intercollegiate.

Tilly and the Bears will try to find consistency in their lineup and establish confidence heading into the weekend at Pasatiempo.

“Golf is such a great sport because it always tests you. It tests how you respond to expectations, how you respond under pressure. Today was another test. We failed the test. But we have to grow from it,” said head coach Walter Chun.

Though it’s just the second tournament of the season, the Bears’ upcoming event Feb. 15-17 will be chock-full of Pac-12 talent, making it an important early season round.

While Cal didn’t capitalize on the novelty of a new season as a team, freshmen Aaron Du and Sampson Zheng finished first and second, respectively, for the Bears, signaling a new cohesiveness and promising talent for the season ahead.

Though the premature end to last spring’s season of improvement was a blow to Cal men’s golf, the team is working in the offseason to return to form.