California Golden Bears Athletics
Monday, May 15
Morgan Hill, CA
All Day
California
vs
Morgan Hill Regional
Simon Kwon is one of five Golden Bears who will try to lead Cal through the NCAA Morgan Hill Regional on May 15-17.
Photo by: Larissa Leck/Cal Athletics
Cal Primed For NCAA Morgan Hill Regional
5/12/2023 10:02 AM | Men's Golf
Top 5 Teams Will Advance From Regional To NCAA Championships
BERKELEY – California will look to punch its ticket to the NCAA Men's Golf Championships for the first time since 2019 when it begins play at the Morgan Hill Regional on Monday at The Institute Golf Club, just 70 miles away from Berkeley.
The 10th-seeded Golden Bears are the closest geographically to Morgan Hill of the 13-team field that will be hosted by San José State and the San Jose Sports Authority on Monday through Wednesday. The 54-hole regional will also feature 10 individuals, with the top five teams and the low individual not on those teams advancing through to the NCAA Championships, played on May 26-31 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Cal – which tees off between 8:55-9:39 a.m. PT on hole 10 Monday alongside Charlotte and Grand Canyon – will be anchored by All-Pac-12 First-Team selection Sampson Zheng, who is ranked 28th nationally by Golfstat and owns a 69.60 stroke average with five top-10 finishes. Aaron Du and Simon Kwon are slotted as the No. 2 and No. 3 golfers, while freshmen Nathan Wang – a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention – and Daniel Heo round out the lineup. All five Bears have played at least 22 rounds this season with Du, Wang and Zheng logging 28 apiece.
The Bears are back in NCAA Regional play for the 24th time since 1990 and first time since 2019. Cal has twice won NCAA Regionals in 2012 (Stanford) and 2013 (Pullman), while Michael Weaver is Cal's lone NCAA Regional individual medalist, having earned co-medalist honors in 2013.
Cal's 2022-23 squad has earned five top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes, including a win at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational in October.
TOURNAMENT INFO
OFF THE TEE
1. Sampson Zheng (Round 1: 9:39 a.m., hole 10)
2. Aaron Du (Round 1: 9:28 a.m., hole 10)
3. Simon Kwon (Round 1: 9:17 a.m., hole 10)
4. Nathan Wang (Round 1: 9:06 a.m., hole 10)
5. Daniel Heo (Round 1: 8:55 a.m., hole 10)
Substitute – Jeewon Park
THE FIELD
Teams (Golfstat ranking)
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
UP NEXT
The top five teams and the low individual not on those teams from the Morgan Hill Regional will advance to the NCAA Championships, hosted by Arizona State and The Thunderbirds at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, on May 26-31. Cal last advanced to the NCAA Championships in 2019, when it placed fourth at the Myrtle Beach Regional and eventually took 10th at NCAAs in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's golf, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalMensGolf), Instagram (@CalMensGolf) and Facebook (/CalMensGolf).
The 10th-seeded Golden Bears are the closest geographically to Morgan Hill of the 13-team field that will be hosted by San José State and the San Jose Sports Authority on Monday through Wednesday. The 54-hole regional will also feature 10 individuals, with the top five teams and the low individual not on those teams advancing through to the NCAA Championships, played on May 26-31 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Cal – which tees off between 8:55-9:39 a.m. PT on hole 10 Monday alongside Charlotte and Grand Canyon – will be anchored by All-Pac-12 First-Team selection Sampson Zheng, who is ranked 28th nationally by Golfstat and owns a 69.60 stroke average with five top-10 finishes. Aaron Du and Simon Kwon are slotted as the No. 2 and No. 3 golfers, while freshmen Nathan Wang – a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention – and Daniel Heo round out the lineup. All five Bears have played at least 22 rounds this season with Du, Wang and Zheng logging 28 apiece.
The Bears are back in NCAA Regional play for the 24th time since 1990 and first time since 2019. Cal has twice won NCAA Regionals in 2012 (Stanford) and 2013 (Pullman), while Michael Weaver is Cal's lone NCAA Regional individual medalist, having earned co-medalist honors in 2013.
Cal's 2022-23 squad has earned five top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes, including a win at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational in October.
TOURNAMENT INFO
- Dates: May 15-17, 2023
- Format: 54 holes (18-18-18, Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday)
- Location: Morgan Hill, California | The Institute Golf Club
- Course Info: Par 72 | 7,561 Yards
- Hosts: San José State & San Jose Sports Authority
- Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
OFF THE TEE
1. Sampson Zheng (Round 1: 9:39 a.m., hole 10)
2. Aaron Du (Round 1: 9:28 a.m., hole 10)
3. Simon Kwon (Round 1: 9:17 a.m., hole 10)
4. Nathan Wang (Round 1: 9:06 a.m., hole 10)
5. Daniel Heo (Round 1: 8:55 a.m., hole 10)
Substitute – Jeewon Park
THE FIELD
Teams (Golfstat ranking)
- Pepperdine (6)
- Florida State (7)
- Mississippi State (18)
- Arizona (19)
- Louisville (30)
- Baylor (31)
- Missouri (42)
- BYU (43)
- North Carolina State (53)
- California (55)
- Charlotte (78)
- Grand Canyon (111)
- Northern Colorado (190)
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
- Matthew Manganello, Fresno State
- Matthew Sutherland, Fresno State
- Riley Lewis, Loyola Marymount
- Javier Barcos, Utah
- Mahanth Chirravuri, USC
- Julien Paltrinieri, Santa Clara
- Caleb Shetler, San José State
- Pono Yanagi, Washington State
- Jackson Rivera, USC
- Casey Leebrick, Sacramento State
UP NEXT
The top five teams and the low individual not on those teams from the Morgan Hill Regional will advance to the NCAA Championships, hosted by Arizona State and The Thunderbirds at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, on May 26-31. Cal last advanced to the NCAA Championships in 2019, when it placed fourth at the Myrtle Beach Regional and eventually took 10th at NCAAs in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's golf, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalMensGolf), Instagram (@CalMensGolf) and Facebook (/CalMensGolf).
Players Mentioned
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