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Behind Aaron Du, Cal grabs early lead at Western Intercollegiate
10 Apr 2023
by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

see also: View results for Western Intercollegiate, Pasatiempo Golf Club, Aaron Du Rankings

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Aaron Du (Cal Athletics photo)
Aaron Du (Cal Athletics photo)

Behind a 7-under 63 by junior Aaron Du, the California Golden Bears grabbed the first-round lead at the Western Intercollegiate being played at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif.

The Bears carded an opening round 16-under 334 in the six-count-five format and will take a one-stroke lead into Tuesday's second round over Oregon (-15) while Stanford (-11) is five off the pace.

Du put on quite the show for the national audience watching on the Golf Channel, registering six birdies and an eagle on the par-70 Alister Mackenzie layout. For a tournament that boasts alumni that have tallied 550 PGA Tour wins, including 50 majors, Du's 7-under 63 tied the tournament scoring record, shared by Jason Allred of Pepperdine (2000) and John Streibich of Xavier (2007).

Cal also benefitted from under-par rounds by Sampson Zheng (66), Jeewon Park (67), Daniel Heo (67) and a 1-over 71 by Nathan Wang.

Oregon nearly matched Cal shot-for-shot, carding a 15-under 335. Junior Gregory Solhaug is just one back of Du after carding an opening round 64 while Owen Avrit is two back after signing for a 65. Greyson Leach (68), Nate Stember (69) and Aiden Krafft (69) were also in red numbers for the Ducks.

Stanford's Michael Thorbjornsen shot a bogey-free 64 and along with Solhaug, is one back of Du heading into Tuesday's second round.

The final two rounds of the Western Intercollegiate will be carried live on Golf Channel. Tuesday's coverage begins at 4:00 p.m. PT with Wednesday's final round scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT.

Results: Western Intercollegiate
1MNDerek HitchnerMinneapolis, MN70068-64-71=203
T2NVYuki MoriyamaLas Vegas, NV50068-67-69=204
T2CAOwen AvritArroyo Grande, CA50065-66-73=204
4CASam ChoiAnaheim, CA40066-65-74=205
5ChinaSampson ZhengChina40066-70-70=206

View full 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

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