RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. – California (283-286-274 – 843, -21) opened its spring season with a dominant 36-stroke victory at The Farms Invitational that concluded two days of action Tuesday at The Farms Golf Course. Collin Morikawa (67-61-65 – 203, -13) outpaced his nearest competitor by a collegiate career-high 11 strokes to earn individual medalist honors while Sebastian Crampton (72-73-70 – 215, -1) and KK Limbhasut (71-74-70 – 215, -1) tied for third.

The Golden Bears' victory was their second in a row dating back to their final tournament of the 2018 fall schedule at the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational last November, while Morikawa's win was the fourth of his collegiate career and first this season.
 
More …

• Morikawa birdied his final four holes Tuesday as part of his eight total to just a single bogey. He birdied three of the course's four par-five holes, four par-fours and one par-three. Morikawa also eagled the 18th hole to finish a second-round one-under par 71 on Tuesday by holing out a 20-footer from the bunker.
• In addition to winning for the fourth time, Morikawa continued some amazing streaks including top-five finishes in each of his five events this season, 11 straight top-10 showings and 18 in a row in the top 20.
• Sebastian Crampton's tied for third-place finish was his third top-three showing in his last four events, while KK Limbhasut's was his best since he won the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational in November of 2018.
• Jamie Cheatham equaled the best finish of his career by tying for fifth while playing as an individual. Cheatham's four-under 68 on Tuesday in third and final round action was the second best behind Morikawa's seven-under 65, as well as his best since firing a five-under par 67 at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in February of 2018. He was playing in only his second tournament of the season after missing all but the final event of the fall due to injury.
• James Song (82-68-69 – 219, +3) and Ben Doyle (73-76-75 – 224, +8) rounded out the Cal lineup by finishing tied for 11th and tied for 18th, respectively.
• Kaiwen Liu (76-73-74 – 223) also played as an individual and tied for 16th in the third-best finish of his career.
• The 36-stroke victory was Cal's biggest margin of victory since the Golden Bears won the Fresno State Lexus Classic by 37 strokes in March of 2013

What They Are Saying …

• "The team played really well today and it was fun to see. Our guys played with purpose and wanted to make a statement. They made their statement and it's a great way to start spring." – Alex and Marie Shipman Director of Men's Golf Walter Chun
• "Starting off the spring with a win is great. This week will give us a lot of confidence heading into the next few events and we'll use this experience in the future. That said we still made a lot of big numbers, which we'll have to get rid of if we want to compete throughout nationals. For myself, I didn't feel completely in synch with my game but used what I had and was able to find some rhythm in some parts of the round. Finishing with four birdies to close out the tournament felt awesome and I'll definitely use this momentum heading into our next event." – Collin Morikawa
• "Starting off the spring on a high note is an important factor moving forward. While we are happy with the result, we also need to work on certain aspects of our game to compete in bigger events. I think we are all trending in the right direction looking ahead." – Sebastian Crampton

Up Next …

• Cal is next in action February 25-26 at the Southwestern Invitational hosted by Pepperdine at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif.

THE FARMS INVITATIONAL – FINAL LEADERBOARDS (after 3 of 3 rounds, 2 of 2 days, 54 of 54 holes)
The Farms Golf Club (Par 72, 6947 Yards)
 
TEAM
1. California (283-286-274 – 843, -21); 2. Loyola Marymount (297-291-291 – 879, +15); 3. Long Beach State (290-304-290 – 884, +20); 4. California Baptist (300-302-288 – 890, +26); 5. New Mexico State (308-302-299 – 909, +45); 6. Sacramento State (306-308-304 – 918, +54); 7. UC Riverside (308-317-296 – 921, +57); 8. Idaho (309-311-306 – 926, +62); 9. Wichita State (313-314-156 – 783, +63); 10. San Diego (322-317-317 – 956, +92)
 
PLAYER – INDVIDUAL MEDALIST AND CAL INDIVIDUALS
1. Collin Morikawa (67-71-65 – 203, -13); T3. Sebastian Crampton (72-73-70 – 215, -1); T3. KK Limbhasut (71-74-70 – 215, -1); ^T5. Jamie Cheatham (76-73-68 – 217, +1); 11. James Song (82-68-69 – 219, +3); ^T16. Kaiwen Liu (76-73-74 – 223, +7); T18. Ben Doyle (73-76-75 – 224, +8)
^played as individual