LIHU'E, Kaua'i – Cal (282-291-279 – 852, -12) closed out its fifth consecutive win at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate during third and final-round action Friday with a nine-under par team score that was the best of the 54-hole event hosted by Hawai'i at Wailua Golf Course. Shotaro Ban (67-72-69 – 208, -8) led the Golden Bears to their third team victory in seven events this season by winning individual medalist honors for the first time in his career.

“I'm proud of these guys not just for the victory but because they competed hard all day,” head coach Steve Desimone said. “This was a great victory that we can really celebrate, everyone contributed. We played really well for three days, especially today.”

“I couldn't be prouder of a team victory,” Ban said. “It's been a big dream of mine to help this squad win. Last year we relied on the older guys but this year we have a young team and to see these guys really buckle down and get the victory is huge for us. The younger guys really stepped up and it's motivating because I have a feeling that we are just getting started.”

Shotaro Ban was the individual medalist for the first time in his collegiate career.

Ban started the final round tied for third place one shot behind second-round co-leaders Andrej Bevins of New Mexico (70-68 – 138, -6) and George Cunningham of Arizona (68-70 – 138, -6) but quickly moved to the front of the pack. Ban birdied the first two holes of the day on the par-five first and par-three third holes and had two more to begin the back nine on the par-five 10th and par-four 11th. His lone bogey came on the four 15th but he was able to make par on each of his final three holes to finish two strokes ahead of second-place John Oda of UNLV (69-70-71 – 210, -6).

“Today was a great day,” Ban said. “I got off to a really solid start and then just grinded the rest of the way.”

“This was a real good victory for Shotaro,” Desimone added. “There were a number of really good players at this event that he beat. He never let up and came through in the clutch when it got close at the end. Shotaro is just getting started. He's on a mission and I would suspect him to be on this roll for a while. He may not win them all but he's going to be competing for a lot of championships.”

Ban had a previous collegiate best finish of tied for third in his most recent event in the spring opener at the Arizona Intercollegiate.

Ban was joined in the top 10 by freshmen KK Limbhasut (72-73-67 – 212, -4) and Sebastian Crampton (72-72-70 – 214, -2) in a tie for fourth and tie for eighth, respectively.

Limbhasut posted the best round of his collegiate career on Friday and equaled Ban's opening-round five-under par 67 for the best of the tournament. Limbhasut started on the second hole and birdied three of his first four holes (3, 5, 6). He would add two more birdies on the 13th and 14th without a bogey during the round.

“We got off to a good start this week and just kept extending our lead from there even when the conditions got tougher in the second round,” Limbhasut said. “It is good to be back in the winning circle for the first time since the Alister MacKenzie Invitational last fall. The key for this week was staying patient and playing smart golf, and we did that very well.”

Crampton had a team-high fourth top-10 finish in his five events this season. He had his best round of the tournament with his two-under par 70 on Friday, coming back with four birdies (10, 11, 15, 17) over his final 10 holes after bogeys on two of his first five (4, 7). He also started on the second hole.

“We all competed as a team today,” Crampton said. “We knew we had to play well, put up a good number and grind, which we all did. Getting this win now comes at a great time because our schedule is picking up a bit and the events are getting bigger. It was nice for me to finish in the top-10 again, but I'm definitely looking to improve on a few things so I can really compete down the stretch.”

Cameron Shaw (71-74-75 – 220, +4) and Alexander Wilson (77-74-73 – 224, +8) also competed for the Bears, tying for 17th and 39th respectively. Wilson was in Cal's lineup for the first time in his career after making his debut playing as an individual in Cal's most recent event at the Arizona Intercollegiate.

Despite Cal winning the John A. Burns Intercollegiate for the fifth consecutive season, Cal's entire lineup for this year's event was playing the tournament for the first time.

Cal will next be in action February 28 – March 2 at the National Invitational Tournament hosted by Arizona at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort.

JOHN A. BURNS INTERCOLLEGIATE (HOSTED BY HAWAI'I)
LIHU'E, HI
WAILUA GOLF COURSE (PAR-72, 6991 YARDS)
 
FINAL TEAM LEADERBOARD (after 3 of 3 days/3 of 3 rounds/54 of 54 holes)
1. Cal (282-291-279 – 852, -12)
2. New Mexico (295-283-281 – 859, -3)
3. UNLV (287-291-290 – 868, +4)
4. Texas A&M (288-293-291 – 872, +8)
5. Virginia (291-301-285 – 877, +13)
6. Colorado State (293-305-285 – 883, +19)
7. Arizona (296-301-287 – 884, +20)
8. Texas El Paso (289-306-290 – 885, +21)
9. Hawai'i (293-306-290 – 889, +25)
10. Washington State (295-308-288 – 891, +27)
11. BYU (302-299-294 – 895, +31)
12. Fresno State (302-303-295 – 900, +36)
13. Long Beach State (294-308-301 – 903, +39)
T14. Hawaii at Hilo (304-306-297 – 907, +43)
T14. Santa Clara (308-303-296 – 907, +43)
16. Hawai'i 'B' (313-311-305 – 929, +65)
17. BYU-Hawaii (311-320-317 – 948, +84)

FINAL PLAYER LEADERBOARD – INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST (after 3 of 3 days/3 of 3 rounds/54 of 54 holes)
1. Shotaro Ban (Cal) 67-72-69 – 208 (-8)

FINAL PLAYER LEADERBOARD – CAL INDIVIDUALS (after 3 of 3 days/3 of 3 rounds/54 of 54 holes)
1. Shotaro Ban 67-72-69 – 208 (-8)
T4. KK Limbhasut 72-73-67 – 212 (-4)
T8. Sebastian Crampton 72-72-70 – 214 (-2)
T17. Cameron Shaw 71-74-75 – 220 (+4)
T37. Alexander Wilson 77-74-73 – 224 (+8)