Patrick Rodgers
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (April 12, 2014) -- Defending champion Cal (345-359 – 704, +4) is in third place after the first 36 holes of the Western Intercollegiate were played Saturday at the par-70, 6,615-yard Pasatiempo Golf Club. The Golden Bears, ranked as high as No. 2 nationally, will begin Sunday’s third and final round eight strokes behind Bay Area and Pac-12 rival Stanford (347-349 – 696, -4). The Bears had led the Cardinal by two strokes through the first 18 holes.
Joël Stalter (65-72 – 137, -3) was tied with Stanford’s Patrick Rodgers (65-69 – 134, -6) on top of the leaderboard after 18 holes with both shooting five-under par opening rounds. Rodgers also shares the lead after 36 holes three shots ahead of Stalter along with teammate Patrick Rodgers (67-67 – 134, -6) and Washington’s Trevor Simbsy (67-67 – 134).
Stalter had nine birdies on the day, including five of seven during one stretch of his first round. Stalter started on the 10th hole and after three straight pars would birdie the par-five 13th, par-three 15th, par-four 17th, par-three 18th and par-four first. After a bogey on the second he would pick up his final birdie of his first round on the par-four fourth before ending his round with five straight pars. On his second round, he finished strong with two birdies over his final four holes on the par-five sixth and ninth holes. He also birdied the other par-five on the course with his second consecutive birdie on 13. His bogeys came on the 11th, 16th and first holes – all par-fours – while he doubled the par-three third.
“This morning was awesome for me,” Stalter said. “I was looking to bound back from last week. I played solid overall today even though the afternoon played hard and I struggled a bit. The team is only eight strokes back so it’s doable tomorrow if we pull out a good round. On to a tough battle tomorrow.”
Cameron Shaw (67-71 – 138, -2) is the next Cal player on the leaderboard in a tie for seventh place but is playing as an individual and does not count towards the team score.
“I’m really happy about being in the top 10 after the first day,” said Shaw, a redshirt freshman who is playing in only his second collegiate event. “I played well the entire day making short putts when I needed to. I’m excited to see what the team and myself can do tomorrow.”
James Yoon (70-70 – 140, E) is in a tie for 10th after his back-to-back even-par rounds. Yoon had his best career finish at the Western Intercollegiate in 2013 when he tied for seventh.
Michael Weaver (69-72 – 141, +1) is in a tie f or 18th, while Pace Johnson (72-71 – 143, +3) and Brandon Hagy (69-74 – 143, +3) are both tied for 25th with Johnson is playing as an individual. Kilpatrick (73-72 – 145, +5) and Ban (72-73 – 145, +5) are tied for 44th.
The tournament is scheduled to conclude with the final 18 holes Sunday with a shotgun start beginning at 8:30 a.m. Cal will play with San Diego State in foursomes with two players from each team. Stalter and Yoon will start on the third hole, Hagy and Weaver on the fourth, and Ban and Kilpatrick on the fifth. Individuals Johnson and Shaw will start on the 18th.
View results for Western Intercollegiate
ABOUT THE
Western Intercollegiate
54-hole men's college tournament hosted by
San Jose State University. “The Western” is
one
of the most highly recognized national
collegiate
tournaments, conducted since 1946
Pasatiempo
Golf Club; a historic venue where a player’s
talent
is always well-tested. Pasatiempo perennially
ranks among the best by all of the major golf
publications.
The format is slightly different than most college
events. Six-player teams take the best five scores
each round to determine the team score.
View Complete Tournament Information