Ban played in 41 events and 100 rounds during his five seasons in the program from the fall of 2011 through the spring of 2016 including three NCAA Regionals, three Pac-12 Championships and two NCAA Championships. He finished in the top 20 in all three of his NCAA Regionals appearances and two of his three Pac-12 Championships. Ban was in and out of the lineup throughout much of the early part of his career hampered by wrist injuries, but after becoming healthy prior to the 2015 spring season was a mainstay in the lineup over his final season and a half participating in 21 of his final 22 possible events. In the spring of 2015, Ban recorded his lone career victory at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate, had a memorable second-place finish at the Western Intercollegiate that was the best ever by a Cal player at the event and a tied for third-place showing at the Arizona Intercollegiate. Ban won several notable honors during his collegiate career including Division I PING All-West Region, second-team All-Pac-12 and honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic in each of his final two seasons, as well as team MVP and Cal's Ben Furth Award selections as a 2014-15 junior and Cal’s Co-Most Improved Player during his 2012-13 redshirt freshman campaign. In addition, Ban has had several strong showings in his amateur career outside of Cal highlighted by when he became the first Golden Bear to win the California State Amateur in 2015.
After Cal
• Turned professional in 2016
Cal Career (Fall 2011 – Spring 2016)
• Stats – 32 stroke-play events, 100 rounds, 7240 strokes, 72.40 stroke average
• Individual Medalist Honors – 1 (John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Spring 2015)
• Top 10 Finishes – 8 with three in top 5 (1st, John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; 2nd, Western Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; T3rd, Arizona Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; 6th, Jack Nicklaus Invitational, Fall 2013; 6th, John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Spring 2016; T8th, Aggie Invitational, Spring 2014; T9th, Arizona Intercollegiate, Spring 2016; T9th, NCAA Tucson Regionals, Spring 2016)
• Cal's Top Finisher – 4 (1st, John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; 2nd, Western Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; T3rd, Arizona Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; *T27th, Southern Highlands Collegiate, Spring 2016)
*Shared Cal's Top Finisher Honors
• Low 54-Hole Score – 204, -6 (Western Intercollegiate, Spring 2015); 208, -8 (John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Spring 2015)
• Low 72-Hole Score – 282, +2 (Pac-12 Championship, Spring 2015)
• Low Round – 65, twice (Alister MacKenzie Invitational, Second Round, Fall 2015; Arizona Intercollegiate, Second Round, Spring 2016)
• NCAA Championships – 2 (T79th, 2016; T105th, 2014)
• NCAA Regionals – 3 (T9th, NCAA Tucson Regionals, Spring 2016; T14th, NCAA Lubbock Regionals, Spring 2015; T20th, NCAA Sugar Grove Regionals, Spring 2014)
• Pac-12 Championships – 3 (T13th, Spring 2015; T16th, Spring 2014; T32nd, Spring 2016)
• Picked up his top career honors as a 2015-16 senior when he earned Division I PING All-West Region and second-team All-Pac-12 recognition for the first time
• Won four different team honors in his career and at least one in each of his final three campaigns with the program, capturing Co-Most Improved Player recognition as a 2012-13 redshirt freshman, a pair of awards as a 2014-15 junior when he wsa named the team's Most Valuable Player and added the Ben Furth Award, and the Ed Arnold Coaches Award as a 2015-16 senior
• A two-time honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection in each of his final two seasons as a junior and senior
• Shot par or better in 42 of his 100 rounds, was under par on 29 occasions and in the 60's 18 times
• Shot at least one round of par or better in 28 of 32 events, at least one round under par 21 times and at least one round in the 60's on 15 occasions
2015-16 (Senior)
• Stats – 13 stroke-play events, 41 rounds, 2969 strokes, 71.67 stroke average
• Final Rankings – No. 41 Golfweek/Sagarin | No. 172 Golfstat
• Top-10 Finishes – 3 with one in top 5 (T1st, John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Spring 2016; T9th, Arizona Intercollegiate, Spring 2016; T9th, NCAA Tucson Regionals, Spring 2016)
• Cal's Top Finisher – 1 (*T27th, Southern Highlands Collegiate, Spring 2016)
*Shared Cal's Top Finisher Honors
• Low 54-Hole Score – 205, -3 (Alister MacKenzie Invitational, Fall 2015)
• Low 72-Hole Score – 293, +9 (Pac-12 Championships, Spring 2016)
• Low Round – 65, twice (Alister MacKenzie Invitational, Second Round, Fall 2015; Arizona Intercollegiate, Second Round, Spring 2016)
• Golfweek Rating – 70.22
• Golfweek Schedule Rank – 72.96 (151)
• Golfweek Records – vs. Top 25 (10-23-1), vs. Top 50 (23-33-4), vs. Top 100 (64-63-6), vs. Overall (513-185-26)
• Earned Division I PING All-West Region, second-team All-Pac-12 and honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic honors for the second consecutive campaign
• Picked up his fourth team award in three seasons by capturing the Ed Arnold Coaches Award for the first time
• Registered a 72.41 stroke average that was third on the team among regulars and fourth overall
• Shot par or better in 17 of his 41 rounds, was under par on 10 occasions and in the 60's seven times
• Had at least one round of par or better in 11 events, at least one round under par eight times and at least one round in the 60's on six occasions including his final collegiate event when he broke a string of 23 straight rounds of 70 or higher with a 69 in his final collegiate round at the NCAA Championships
• Cal's lone senior
6. John A. Burns Intercollegiate (72-68-73 – 213, +3)
T9. Arizona Intercollegiate (75-65-75 – 215, +2) ... had birdies on his final two holes to help Cal to a dramatic fourth-place finish that moved the Bears on to the NCAA Championships
T9. NCAA Tucson Regionals (70-73-70 – 213, -3)
T14. Alister MacKenzie Invitational (72-65-68 – 205, -3)
T18. Nick Watney Invitational (71-69-71 – 211, -2)
T18. Querencia Cabo Collegiate (71-73-71 – 215, +2)
T23. Tavistock Collegiate Invitational (69-74-79 – 222, +6)
T27. Gopher Invitational (74-75-73 – 222, +9)
T27. Southern Highlands Collegiate (74-74-75 – 223, +7)
T27. ASU Thunderbird Invitational (73-72-71 – 216, +3)
T32. Pac-12 Championships (72-70-72-79 – 293, +9)
T49. Western Intercollegiate (70-76-75 – 221, +11)
T79. NCAA Championships (76-78-77-69 – 300, +20)
2014-15 (Junior)
• Stats – 9 stroke-play events, 28 rounds, 2005 strokes, 71.61 stroke average
• Final Rankings/Ratings/Records – No. 41 Golfweek/Sagarin | No. 45 Golfstat
• Top-10 Finishes – 3 with three in top 5 (1st, John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; 2nd, Western Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; T3rd, Arizona Intercollegiate, Spring 2015)
• Cal's Top Finisher – 3 (1st, John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; 2nd, Western Intercollegiate, Spring 2015; T3rd, Arizona Intercollegiate, Spring 2015)
• Low 54-Hole Score – 204, -6 (Western Intercollegiate, Spring 2015); 208, -8 (John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Spring 2015)
• Low 72-Hole Score – 282, +2 (Pac-12 Championship, Spring 2015)
• Low Round – 67 (three times, John A. Burns Intercollegiate, First Round, Fall 2014; Western Intercollegiate, Third Round, Spring 2015; NCAA Lubbock Regionals, Third Round, Spring 2015)
• Golfweek Rating – 70.22
• Golfweek Schedule Rank – 72.96 (151)
• Golfweek Records – vs. Top 25 (10-23-1), vs. Top 50 (23-33-4), vs. Top 100 (64-63-6), vs. Overall (555-131-24)
• Earned several honors including Division I PING All-West Region, second-team All-Pac-12, honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic, team MVP and Cal's Ben Furth Award selections with the latter given for academic and athletic excellence
• Finished the season as Cal's top-ranked player according to both Golfweek/Sagarin (No. 41) and Golfstat (No. 45)
• Stroke average ranked second on team behind only KK Limbhasut
• The only Cal player with three finishes in the top three
• Cal's top finisher in three of eight spring events to rank second on the team behind Limbhasut's five total and four spring team-leading outings including his first collegiate win at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate
• Second-place finish at the Western Intercollegiate was the best showing ever by a Cal player in the history of the event that began in
• Registered a career-high-tying totals of nine events and 28 rounds played
• Shot par or better in 15 of his 18 rounds and was under par on 12 occasions
• Both began and concluded his postseason play with rounds of 67 on the opening 18 holes of the Pac-12 Championships with a three-under par effort and the final round of the NCAA Lubbock Regionals with a four-under par performance
1. John A. Burns Intercollegiate (67-72-69 – 208, -8)
2. Western Intercollegiate (68-69-67 – 204, -6)
T3. Arizona Intercollegiate (70-70-69 – 209, -4)
T13. Pac-12 Championships (67-71-73-71 – 282, +2)
T14. NCAA Lubbock Regional (73-72-67 – 212, -1)
T17. National Invitational Tournament (76-70-72 – 218, +2)
T23. Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters (73-72-70 – 215, -1)
T29. Aggie Invitational (75-74-79 – 228, +12)
T40. Gopher Invitational (73-79-77 – 229, +16)
2013-14 (Sophomore)
• Stats – 9 stroke-play events, 28 rounds, 2041 strokes, 72.89 stroke average
• Final Rankings/Ratings/Records – No. 98 Golfweek, No. 119 Golfstat
• Top-10 Finishes – 2 (6th, Jack Nicklaus Invitational; T8th, Aggie Invitational)
• Golfweek Rating – 71.22
• Golfweek Schedule Rank – 72.91 (80)
• Golfweek Records – vs. Top 25 (5-46-1), vs. Top 50 (17-79-3), vs. Top 100 (43-122-5), vs. Overall (466-261-28)
• Had five top-20 finishes in nine events, including a pair in the first two postseason events of his career with a tied for 16th finish at the Pac-12 Championship and a tied for 20th showing at the NCAA Sugar Grove Regional
• Also played in his first NCAA Championship and finished tied for 105th
• Participated in each of the team’s final six events, including the first two as an individual and the final four in the lineup, after having not previously played since a sixth-place finish at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational during the third tournament in the fall of 2013
• Recorded his second top-10 showing of the season when he tied for eighth at the Aggie Invitational in his first event of the spring playing as an individual
• Participated in the team’s first three events of 2013-14, adding a tied for 12th place showing at the Saint Mary’s Invitational and a tied for 27th finish at the Gopher Invitational to his sixth-place performance at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational
• Shot par or under in 10 of 28 rounds, under par on six occasions and in the 60's three times
6. Jack Nicklaus Invitational (68-72-72 – 212, -1)
T8. Aggie Invitational (71-75-77 – 223, +3) ... played as individual
T12. Saint Mary’s Invitational (69-73-78 – 220, +4)
T16. Pac-12 Championship (73-69-78-74 – 294, +6)
T20. NCAA Sugar Grove Regional (73-72-74 – 219, +3)
T27. Gopher Invitational (75-70-75 – 220, +7)
T33. Western Intercollegiate (72-73-70 – 215, +5)
T43. National Invitational Tournament (76-72-71 – 219, +3) ... played as individual
T105. NCAA Championship (70-74-75 – 219, +9)
2012-13 (Freshman)
• Stats – 1 event, 3 rounds, 225 strokes, 75.00 stroke average
• Final Rankings – *No. 83 Golfweek
*Rankings for a secondary list of golfers without enough rounds to qualify for regular rankings
• Earned team’s Co-Most Improved Player Award along with Cameron Shaw
T54. Arizona Intercollegiate (81-69-75 – 225, +12) ... played as individual
2011-12 (Freshman)
• Redshirted while recovering from a wrist injury
• Did not play
Amateur Highlights
2016
• Final AmateurGolf.com Rankings – No. 59 California, No. 233 US, No. 501 World
T6. Silicon Valley Amateur (71-73 – 144)
2015
• Final AmateurGolf.com Rankings – No. 6 California, No. 26 US, No. 43 World
1. California Amateur ... first current Cal player to win event and second overall with Charlie Wi taking the event in 1990 before starting his collegiate career at Nevada and later transferring to Cal ... wild week included a tied for 25th place finish in stroke play to tie for the final spot with seven others in a field of 32 that advanced to match play and then victories over Cal teammates Ben Doyle in the Round of 32 and Keelan Kilpatrick in the Round of 16
T1. U.S. Amateur Sectional Qualifying (69-67 – 136, -8) ... Turlock Golf & Country Club, Turlock, Calif.
T2. Saguaro Amateur (70-70-66 – 206)
3. The Players Amateur (71-70-63-70 – 274)
T5. Monroe Invitational (71-70-72-67 – 280)
T8. Patriot All-America (70-72-74 – 216, +3)
T8/DNQ. U.S. Open Local Qualifying (72, +1) ... Granite Bay Golf Club, Granite Bay, Calif.
9. Pacific Coast Amateur (70-71-70-71 – 282)
T14. Sahalee Players Championship (74-74-72-71 – 291)
T24. Southern Amateur (72-70-71-69 – 282)
T57/MC. Western Amateur (73-73 – 146)
MC. U.S. Amateur (75-72 – 147, +7)
2014
• Final AmateurGolf.com Rankings – No. 20 California, No. 86 US, No. 201 World
1. Diablo Valley Amateur (71-66 – 137)
T3. U.S. Amateur Sectional Qualifier (69-70 – 139) ... San Joaquin Country Club, Fresno, Calif.
T8. Monroe Invitational (66-71-71-67 – 275)
T15. Porter Cup (67-71-68-73 – 279)
T16. California State Fair Amateur (72-71-68 – 211)
T19. Sahalee Players Championship (73-78-69-74 – 294)
T27. Western Amateur (69-70-69-75 – 283)
Final 32. California Amateur
T34. Southern Amateur (69-74-77-80 – 300)
2013
• Final AmateurGolf.com Rankings – No. 31 California, No. 124 US, No. 254 World
2. Santa Clara County Amateur (69-66-74 – 209)
2. Silicon Valley Amateur (70-75 – 145)
T3. Alameda Commuters (69-67-68-74 – 278)
T4/First Alternate Qualifier. U.S. Amateur Qualifying (72-70 – 142) ... Brookwoods Country Club, Ontario, N.Y.
T6. New Year’s Invitational (72-71-72-69 – 284)
T17. Porter Cup (71-71-67-69 – 278)
T23. Sahalee Players Championship (75-74-78-69 – 296)
T34. Sunnehanna Amateur (70-74-70-75 – 289)
2012
• Missed many amateur events with a wrist injury
1. Pacific Northwest Amateur ... won six matches
T9. Santa Clara County Amateur (73-69-76 – 218)
T19. California State Fair Amateur (67-75-69 – 211)
T20. Pacific Coast Amateur (77-75-75-71 – 298)
2011
• Final AmateurGolf.com Rankings – No. 123 California
4. Alister MacKenzie Cup (71-36 – 107) ... tournament shortened to 27 holes due to inclement weather
4. Palo Alto City Championship (72-68 – 140)
13. Alameda Commuters (70-73-71-75 – 289)
Final 16. California Amateur
T19. Silicon Valley Amateur (77-73 – 150)
2007-11 (Archbishop Mitty HS)
• Most Valuable Player of his squad for each of his final three prep campaigns (2009, 2010, 2011)
• Led his team to a pair of West Catholic Athletic League titles in his final two prep seasons (2010, 2011), earning first-team All-WCAL honors as a senior
• Also a record-breaking prep swimmer, setting a national mark as part of a 200-meter medley relay squad and a Pacific Coast record in the 100-meter butterfly
• Named to the Principal’s Honor Roll three times
Other
• Full name is Shotaro Brian Ban
• Born August 13, 1993, in San Jose, Calif.
• Graduated from Cal with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies in May of 2016
• Parents are Hideyuki Ban and Susan Chang
• Was a nationally competitive amateur swimmer
• Appeared on KTVU Channel 2's Sports Wrap in June of 2015 to discuss the U.S. Open
• Brother, Shintaro Ban, is a junior golfer at UNLV in 2016-17
Getting To Know Shotaro
• Nickname ... Shotime
• The reason I love golf is ... it challenges you in all aspects, mostly in the mental game
• The Cal teammate I have admired most is ... Cameron Shaw because he has matured in the last from becoming a player with a lot of talent but not much confidence and focused on himself to a player showing his talent more confidence and more worried about the team than his own performance
• The favorite golf course I have played is ... Spyglass Hill
• The reasons I chose Cal are ... the environment and the people, and the university gives me so many opportunities that many other schools could not
• Since coming to Cal I have learned ... to be more open and caring and also have a good work ethic
• What sets Cal golf apart from other collegiate golf programs is ... we know what our goals are and work with a never-ending desire to succeed
• My favorite golf movie is ... The Greatest Game Ever Played
• If I were not playing college golf, I would be ... swimming collegiately
• The best advice I've ever received is ... no regrets (from Coach Desimone)
• One moment in history I wish I could have seen is ... Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech
• My best advice to youngsters would be ... to live life with no regrets
Last Updated
February 21, 2017
