April 30, 2013
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LOS ANGELES, Calif. - No. 1 Cal (338-357-361 - 1056, +6) has a two-shot lead over second-place and host No. 3 UCLA (346-358-354 - 1058, +8) after three rounds of the 2013 Pac-12 Championship that will conclude Wednesday with the final 18 holes beginning at 8 a.m. PT. Max Homa (61-70-71 - 202, -8) extended his lead Tuesday and will take a five-stroke advantage into Wednesday's final round at the par-70, 7,236-yard North Course at Los Angeles Country Club.
"The bottom line is you have the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the country separated by two shots for the Pac-12 Championship," head coach Steve Desimone said. "If you were going to draw it up and you wanted some drama, this is the way you'd do it. It's the first time in a while that we're really going to be challenged. This is a good test for us, and it will be interesting to see how we respond. I'm guessing one thing and that this is going to go right down to the 72nd hole."
"UCLA is a great team," Homa said. "We are going to need to play solid, smart golf to beat them. We were successful [against UCLA] last week [at the Western Intercollegiate], so we will use that confidence going into tomorrow."
Defending champion Cal had led by nine strokes heading into Tuesday's third round but the Bruins were seven strokes better than the Golden Bears on Tuesday.
"We're the defending champion and we want to keep that title," Desimone said. "You hope that the pendulum is going to swing back. They had their day today. We're hoping we have our day tomorrow."
"Give credit to UCLA, they played great and kept the pressure on us all day," Desimone added. "But, we struggled. It's hard to describe, but we just never seemed comfortable today. It really showed in our putting. We just did not make a lot of putts even though we had some good opportunities. They just didn't drop."
Homa started the day three shots ahead of teammate Michael Weaver (65-69-74 - 208, -2) and finished it five ahead of UCLA's Jonathan Garrick (68-68-71 - 207, -3). Weaver dropped into a four-way tie for fourth one shot behind Garrick and six off Homa's pace.
Homa is attempting to become the third Cal player to win individual medalist honors at the 54th annual edition of the event that began in 1960. Charlie Wi was the first Cal player to be victorious in 1995 and was followed by Eric Mina in 2010.
"The lead is great," said Homa, who broke the course record Monday with his opening-round nine-under par 61 that was also his collegiate low and equaled the lowest score shot in the nation this season. "There are a ton of great players behind me so I just need to play my game and enjoy the moment."
"Max has played three superb rounds," Desimone said. "To see Max with a five-shot in a field like this with so many great players tells you how well he has played. He has been by far the best player in the field, and I certainly like his chances and our chances tomorrow."
Homa shot a solid one-over par 71 on Tuesday when only three golfers broke par. His two birdies came over a three-hole stretch on the front nine on the par-four sixth and par-five eighth. His bogeys came on the par-four fifth, par-three ninth and par-four 17th.
Weaver started his four-over par round of 74 with a birdie on the par-five first hole that would turn out to be his only birdie of the day. He would make double bogey on the par-four second hole and had three bogeys in a row on the par-three 11th, and par-four 12th and 13th.
Brandon Hagy (68-76-71 - 215, +5) jumped eight spots into a tie for 12th place after a one-over par 71. Hagy was two-under par after five holes following birdies on the par-four third and fifth holes. But four bogeys over the next six holes, twice in back-to-back fashion on the sixth and par-three seventh and then again on the par-four 10th and par-three 11th, put him at two-over for the day. He would get one stroke back with a birdie on the par-three 15th.
Michael Kim (71-73-72 - 216, +6) moved up six places into a tie for the 14th position following a wild two-over par 72 that included four birdies to tie for the most by a Cal player on the day, two bogeys and two rare double bogeys. Kim started the round with his first double on the opening hole but got both strokes back when he carded back-to-back birdies on the third and par-four fourth holes. He finished the front nine with a one-over par 36 after adding two bogeys (No. 5, No. 9) and another birdie (No. 8). His second double bogey came on the 13th hole, while he would get one shot back with a birdie on the 15th.
Joël Stalter (73-72-73 - 218, +8) rose four spots into a tie for 23rd after a three-over par round of 73. Stalter shot a three-over par 38 on the front nine with bogeys on the second, fifth and eight holes. He posted his first birdie on the 11th hole and also finished his round with a birdie on the par-four 18th, with two bogeys in between on the 12th and par-four 14th.
James Yoon (74-73-75 - 222, +12) is tied for 36th following a five-over par round of 75 that dropped him two spots. Yoon matched Kim's four birdies (No. 1, No. 3, No. 8, par-four No. 16) but also had two critical tough holes on the back nine with a triple bogey on No. 17 and a double bogey on No. 11, as well as a bogey on No. 12. He also had three bogeys on the front (No. 2, No. 6, No. 7).
Despite a field that includes five of the nation's top 11 ranked teams, third-place Washington (349-360-369 - 1078, +28) is the next team on the leader board 22 shots behind the Bears.
Cal has won a school-record nine of 11 tournaments in 2012-13 and is only one victory shy of the unofficial NCAA season-record win total of 10 established by the 1985-86 Oklahoma State squad. Cal has won 15 of its last 25 tournaments overall dating back to the beginning of the 2011-12 campaign and finished in the top five in all 25.
Pac-12 Championship (hosted by UCLA)
Los Angeles, Calif. - Los Angeles Country Club North Course (par-70, 7,236 yards)
TEAM LEADER BOARD (after 2 of 3 days/3 of 4 rounds/54 of 72 holes)
1. Cal (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)
T7. Oregon State (368-362-380 - 1110, +60)
T7. Colorado (370-360-380 - 1110, +60)
T7. 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)
PLAYER LEADER BOARD - INDIVIDUAL LEADER (after 2 of 3 days/3 of 4 rounds/54 of 72 holes)
1. Max Homa (Cal) 61-70-71 - 202 (-8)
PLAYER LEADER BOARD - CAL INDIVIDUALS (after 2 of 3 days/3 of 4 rounds/54 of 72 holes)
1. Max Homa 61-70-71 - 202 (-8)
T3. Michael Weaver 65-69-74 - 208 (-2)
T12. Brandon Hagy 68-76-71 - 215 (+5)
T14. Michael Kim 71-73-72 - 216 (+6)
T23. Joël Stalter 73-72-73 - 218 (+8)
T36. James Yoon 74-73-75 - 222 (+12)
