California Golden Bears Athletics

RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. – California women's golf booked a spot in the championship round of the Lamkin Invitational by defeating San Diego State by a 3.5-1.5 scoreline at The Farms Golf Course.
 
The Bears moved to 3-0 in match play on the season and 2-0 at the tournament with Tuesday's victory. Cal advanced to the semifinal by defeating San Jose State in the quarterfinal on Monday afternoon. The Bears were seventh in the stroke play portion of the event, which determined the seeds for the match-play portion. Cal's other match play victory came in the fall as they teamed with the men's golf team to defeat Stanford at the inaugural Big Match.
 
"This is a course that you have to learn every single round," Head Coach Nancy McDaniel said. "Since yesterday morning, we've done a fantastic job of learning to navigate the course and we've improved every round."
Marianne Li started the Bears out on the right note as she took a four-shot lead over Kitty Tam after the first five holes. Li played scratch golf through 13 holes to claim the win 6&5. Li bounced back after a tough opening day on Monday. The senior shot an 83 in stroke play and then fell to Natasha Andrea Oon of San Jose State by a 1-up score during match play. However, it didn't faze Li as she rebounded with an excellent round which featured three birdies and put the Bears on the board, only taking 13 holes to build an insurmountable lead.
 
"Marianne was locked in from the beginning," McDaniel said. "She hit it within 2.5 feet of the pin on the first hole, then did the same on the second hole to get out of the bunker. She stayed focused on every shot and didn't let the match affect her."
Amina Wolf added the second point for the Bears as she beat April Ranches by four strokes with three holes remaining (4&3). Wolf played clean golf throughout the round and took a four-stroke lead in an eight-hole span. The lead held for the distance as she tallied one birdie and one bogey during that match-winning span.
 
Cindy Oh shot 1-under par through 17 holes to win her matchup 3&1 over Gioia Carpinelli of San Diego State and clinch the match. Oh fell behind after the first hole, but was steady throughout the day as she only recorded one bogey. This was Oh's third match-play victory of the year and it propelled the Bears into the final
 
Katherine Zhu's matchup against Fernada Escauriza ended all-square as Zhu recorded two birdies on the day. Maria Herraez Galvez fell to Sara Kjellker of San Diego State by a score of 2&1. Herraez Galvez recorded two birdies, but was undone by six bogeys.
 
Playing as an individual, Sofia Lundell also won an individual matchup. The Cal sophomore took on Tatum Mahon from SDSU and won a decisive 6&5 victory.
 
"The players are having a lot of fun out here," McDaniel said. "The Farm Golf Course is an awesome venue for a match play event and SDSU does a great job of hosting this event every year."
 
With the win, the Bears advance to the Championship round where they will face off with no. 6 Vanderbilt.
 
"Having a shot to play the number six team in the country is exciting," McDaniel said. "It's exactly where you want to be. We'll have an opportunity to get another round of match play under our belts. Our goal is to play in match play at the end of the year at the NCAA Championship and playing this level of competition will be a good test for us."

The Bears and the Commodores will take the course at 8:30 a.m. for a shotgun start.
 
CAL DEF. SAN DIEGO STATE (3.5-1.5)
Cindy Oh (CAL) def. Gioia Carpinelli (SDSU) – 3&1
Marianne Li (CAL) def. Kitty Tam (SDSU) – 6&5  
Katherine Zhu (CAL) vs. Fernanda Escauriza (SDSU) – All Square
Amina Wolf (CAL) def. April Ranches (SDSU) – 4&2
Sara Kjellker (SDSU) def. Maria Herraez Galvez (CAL) – 2&1
*Sofia Lundell (CAL) def. Tatum Mahon (SDSU) – 6&5

CAL DEF. SAN JOSE STATE (3-2)
Cindy Oh (CAL) def. Abegail Arevalo (SJSU) - 2&1
Natasha Andrea Oon (SJSU) def. Marianne Li (CAL) - 1-up
Katherine Zhu (CAL) def. Maddie White (SJSU) - 6&4
Franziska Friedrich (SJSU) def. Amina Wolf (CAL) - 4&3
Maria Herraez Galvez (CAL) def. Alexandra Cooper (SJSU) - 4&3
 
STROKE PLAY RESULTS
T10. Katherine Zhu, 76 (+4)
T20. Maria Herraez Galvez, 78 (+6)
T24. Cindy Oh, 79 (+7)
*T32. Sofia Lundell, 80 (+8)
T37. Amina Wolf, 81 (+9)
T47. Marianne Li, 83 (+11)
*Playing as an individual