Wednesday, October 9
Woodside, CA
TBD
California
at
Big Match - Stanford vs. Cal
Photo by: Cal Athletics
10/9/2019 8:47 PM | Men's Golf, Women's Golf
Cal Takes Match Play Event Over Stanford For Second Straight Year
WOODSIDE – If Sofia Lundell were auditioning for an acting role Wednesday, she would have gotten the part.
The Cal junior followed a winning script on the 18th hole at Menlo Country Club, executing a perfect game plan for par and helping Cal defeat Stanford 3-2-1 in the second annual Big Match.
Lundell helped overcome teammate Cooper Hunt's drive into the trees on the final hole of the day, lifting Cal's No. 6 team to a one-shot victory that clinched the overall match for the Golden Bears. Cal won the inaugural Big Match last year on a second playoff hole.
"Sofia did everything according to plan. It was like an actor following a script," Cal head coach Nancy McDaniel said. "She made a really smart play by hitting her 3-wood off the tee. She's really trusting of that club. On that last hole, you want that club that you can trust."
The Big Match is a unique match play event in which each school's men's and women's programs combine to play a four-ball tournament, with each team fielding six mixed twosomes. Along with Lundell and Hunt, Cal's No. 2 team of Elena Arias and Connor Golembeski and No. 4 pairing of Kristine Tran and Kento Yamawakii also registered victories.
Both schools had won two matches and the No. 1 teams ended in a tie before Lundell and Cooper were wrapping up the 16th hole all square with Stanford's Emily Wang and David Snyder. Their match remained even after 17.
Lundell went straight down the 18th fairway with her tee shot and then put herself in position for an easy par after her 4-iron left her squarely on the green. Both Snyder and Wang narrowly missed putts, the last of which set off a Golden Bear celebration as dusk set in in Woodside.
"I knew I at least needed to make a par," Lundell said. "I was nervous, but at the same time I really enjoyed the situation. Having the pressure sometimes really brings out the best in you."
Arias and Golembeski also approached the 18th hole all square with Stanford's Ashwin Arasu and Calista Reyes. But Golembeski drained a 32-foot putt for birdie that put his team over the top.
"I talked to Connor on the 13th tee and he said he thought he was playing well but hadn't been making any putts," Cal assistant coach Chris Massoletti said. "He said he needed to make some birdies. He started making some putts, and we needed it. The putt on 18 was massive."
Cal's men's team came straight to the Big Match after spending the previous two days hosting the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in Fairfax, in which they finished second.
"I wasn't really in that competitive mindset when I came out here today, but I pulled into the parking lot and saw all the Stanford guys getting out of their van and the juices started flowing," said Massoletti, who was coaching his first Big Match after being hired in August. "This rivalry is so cool, and this is a really special event."
The victory gives Cal's women some momentum heading into this weekend's Stanford Invitational after finishing in eighth and 10th respectively during their first two tournaments of the season.
"It was a huge highlight for us last season and came at a time when it was needed, and I think I can say the same thing about this season," McDaniel said. "It gives everyone some confidence. It's really fun to see our players play for something bigger. You really get the feeling that you're playing for the university."
The Stanford Invitational runs Friday-Sunday at Stanford Golf Course. Cal's men's program next competes in the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 20-22.
The Cal junior followed a winning script on the 18th hole at Menlo Country Club, executing a perfect game plan for par and helping Cal defeat Stanford 3-2-1 in the second annual Big Match.
Lundell helped overcome teammate Cooper Hunt's drive into the trees on the final hole of the day, lifting Cal's No. 6 team to a one-shot victory that clinched the overall match for the Golden Bears. Cal won the inaugural Big Match last year on a second playoff hole.
"Sofia did everything according to plan. It was like an actor following a script," Cal head coach Nancy McDaniel said. "She made a really smart play by hitting her 3-wood off the tee. She's really trusting of that club. On that last hole, you want that club that you can trust."
The Big Match is a unique match play event in which each school's men's and women's programs combine to play a four-ball tournament, with each team fielding six mixed twosomes. Along with Lundell and Hunt, Cal's No. 2 team of Elena Arias and Connor Golembeski and No. 4 pairing of Kristine Tran and Kento Yamawakii also registered victories.
Both schools had won two matches and the No. 1 teams ended in a tie before Lundell and Cooper were wrapping up the 16th hole all square with Stanford's Emily Wang and David Snyder. Their match remained even after 17.
Lundell went straight down the 18th fairway with her tee shot and then put herself in position for an easy par after her 4-iron left her squarely on the green. Both Snyder and Wang narrowly missed putts, the last of which set off a Golden Bear celebration as dusk set in in Woodside.
"I knew I at least needed to make a par," Lundell said. "I was nervous, but at the same time I really enjoyed the situation. Having the pressure sometimes really brings out the best in you."
Arias and Golembeski also approached the 18th hole all square with Stanford's Ashwin Arasu and Calista Reyes. But Golembeski drained a 32-foot putt for birdie that put his team over the top.
"I talked to Connor on the 13th tee and he said he thought he was playing well but hadn't been making any putts," Cal assistant coach Chris Massoletti said. "He said he needed to make some birdies. He started making some putts, and we needed it. The putt on 18 was massive."
Cal's men's team came straight to the Big Match after spending the previous two days hosting the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in Fairfax, in which they finished second.
"I wasn't really in that competitive mindset when I came out here today, but I pulled into the parking lot and saw all the Stanford guys getting out of their van and the juices started flowing," said Massoletti, who was coaching his first Big Match after being hired in August. "This rivalry is so cool, and this is a really special event."
The victory gives Cal's women some momentum heading into this weekend's Stanford Invitational after finishing in eighth and 10th respectively during their first two tournaments of the season.
"It was a huge highlight for us last season and came at a time when it was needed, and I think I can say the same thing about this season," McDaniel said. "It gives everyone some confidence. It's really fun to see our players play for something bigger. You really get the feeling that you're playing for the university."
The Stanford Invitational runs Friday-Sunday at Stanford Golf Course. Cal's men's program next competes in the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 20-22.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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