University of California Athletics

By Tim Haran

BERKELEY - Cal head coach Steve Desimone, as he did last year, enters the 2002 campaign with a lineup of young but talented golfers. The Golden Bears are returning just one senior on a team is looking to advance to its sixth consecutive NCAA Western Regional and fourth NCAA Championship in the last five years.

While Walter Chun is the team's only senior, Cal also returns last year's standout freshman Peter Tomasulo and welcomes to the lineup Scott Carlyle, who transferred to Cal from the University of Hawaii.

"In some respects there is some experience in the lineup," said Desimone, who's entering his 23rd season as Cal's head coach. "But you've got to remember that Peter is in only his second year of college golf and even though Scott is in his third year, it's his first at Cal where there will be an academic, athletic and social transition."

Tomasulo, Carlyle and Chun are unquestionably Cal's top three golfers heading into the spring season. After a phenomenal freshman year in which he earned All-Conference honors and led the Bears with a 73.1 stroke average, Tomasulo finished in the top 25 in seven of 12 tournaments in 2000-01 and placed seventh at the Pac-10 Championships. Last fall he placed 13th or better in each of his five tournaments, including tying for second place at the Husky Invitational (73-72-69), tying for fifth at the Pacific Invitational (73-69-73) and tying for seventh at both the Mid Pines Intercollegiate and the Pepperdine Intercollegiate. Tomasulo also posted an incredible 71.5 stroke average throughout the fall. If he keeps that same pace through the spring, his average will break the all-time Cal scoring record set in 1989-90 by Ben Furth (71.6).

"Peter had the best freshman year of any player in the history of the program," Desimone said. "He followed that up with a sensational fall and is now one of the top 50 players in the country. He's clearly on an All-America pace."

Anchoring Cal's second spot is Carlyle, who earned second-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors last season at Hawaii and maintained his stride with a solid fall season for the Bears. The junior finished third at the Vandal Fall Classic (69-67-71) and finished in the top 30 in two other tournaments. Now entering Cal's school of engineering and a candidate for Academic All-American honors, Carlyle may find himself adjusting to the rigorous academic schedule, but Desimone said that he has the potential to be one of the conference's top golfers.

"Scott's one of the best iron players ever in the program," Desimone said. "Wherever the flag is he's going for it. Sometimes he is too aggressive, but he's so accurate that course management isn't as much of an issue. He throws darts all day and it's great to watch."

Chun, or "Mr. Clutch," will be this year's sole captain and will play in the third spot to start the spring season. After coming off an impressive season last year in which he was named Academic All-American and earned first-team All-Pac-10 Academic honors, Chun played well in the fall and led the Bears at the Mid Pines Intercollegiate, finishing sixth (72-67-70).

"He does so much for our team in so many ways from his excellent play to his leadership," Desimone said. "He's got a solid short game, hits the ball straight and manages his game well. He doesn't try to do to much and knows how to deal with trouble."

The top of the lineup is solid, but Desimone admits that the lower end of the five-man squad is extremely inexperienced. Jeff Hood who redshirted last season currently fills the fourth spot and George Serra, clearly one of the most improved players in the west, has settled into the fifth spot.

A wildcard is Alameda High graduate Chris Ancheta who will join the Bears lineup after registering at Cal. As one of the top amateurs in the Bay Area, Desimone said that Ancheta could potentially add a spark to the bottom half of the lineup. Even more, he'll provide much needed depth, especially at the Pac-10 Championships which call for a six-man team.

Hood, who was the California State Junior Amateur champion in 1999, struggled to finish rounds strongly in the fall, but Desimone attributes that to youth and said it's just a matter of time before he starts posting some low numbers. "Once he gets more comfortable traveling, learns how to manage his game and finish his rounds, we're going to see continued good play out of him," Desimone said, referring specifically to Hood's skill as an outstanding putter.

Serra, whose biggest strength may be his competitiveness, contributed a stretch of three or four solid rounds in the fall to help the team. "He continues to improve, works very hard on his game and his ball striking has been solid," Desimone said.

While the Bears look to continue their streak of NCAA Championship appearances, Desimone recognizes that in the next few years, after gaining some additional experience, there's no telling how strong the teams could be.

"We're looking at this year not just as a building year but also as a stepping stone because over the next three to five years we foresee a stretch similar to the great teams we had from 1995 to 2000," Desimone said.

What's different about some of the late-90s teams compared to the squad this year, Desimone said, is that those teams were made up of powerful and experienced veterans who exuded confidence. "This team is still searching for an identity and that's not unusual for a team that's young with several inexperienced players," he added.

Two golfers that saw significant action last season will redshirt this year. Jesse Ruda and Lance Torrey both contributed to the success of last year's team but are sitting out this season.

"Redshirting two outstanding players clearly puts us at a bit of a disadvantage, but it's the right decision for both of them," Desimone said. "Jesse and Lance will be ready to return to the lineup next year and will instantly move up the ladder as they continue to work hard in school and golf. Both of them will certainly compete for a couple of the top five spots next season."

With a host of youthful talent combined with players that have a bit more college golf experience, the stage is set for Cal to compete against the top golf programs in the country again this season. At the same time, the Bears are poised to garner even greater achievements in the years to come.

"We hope to build on what has been a wonderful run since 1993," Desimone said. "We've constructed a solid foundation that will allow us to continue competing with the best teams in the country. Our goal is to compete for the national championship and we believe we are moving in that direction."