Bears Jump To Sixth On Moving Day

California men’s golfer Aaron Du connects with a tee shot during the second round of the NCAA Morgan Hill Regional.

MGOLF5/16/2023 4:13 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Cal Climbs Four Spots On Day Two Of NCAA Morgan Hill Regional

MORGAN HILL – California put itself within striking distance to advance through the NCAA Men’s Golf Morgan Hill Regional by climbing four spots on the leaderboard with an 8-over par 296 in round two on Tuesday at The Institute Golf Club.
 
The Golden Bears (293-296 – 589, +13) are in sole possession of sixth place and find themselves five strokes behind fifth-place BYU (+8) heading into Wednesday’s third and final round; the top five teams advance from the Morgan Hill Regional to the NCAA Championships, played on May 26-31 in Scottsdale, Arizona. After eight teams shot under par on Monday, no team was better than 6-over par during the second round, allowing Cal to make a jump.
 
Daniel Heo (+4) made the biggest difference for the Bears on Tuesday as he climbed 31 spots on the individual leaderboard into a tie for 27th with an even-par 72. The freshman was even par through his first seven holes and finished strong with birdies on holes 3 and 7 after recording a pair of bogeys in a three-hole stretch between 17 and 1.
 
Sampson Zheng (+1) finished the day in a tie for 13th following a 3-over 75. He was unable to notch a birdie in the second round, but remained steady with just three bogeys to go along with 15 pars. The Cal junior is five strokes behind clubhouse leaders Maximilian Steinlechner (-4) of North Carolina State and Luke Clanton (-4) of Florida State with 18 holes to play.
 
Cal’s Aaron Du (+4), who tallied a team-high three birdies on holes 1, 10 and 11, shot a 3-over 75 in the second round and is tied with Heo at 27th.
 
Mississippi State (-2), Florida State (+1), Baylor (+3) and Pepperdine (+6) own the top four spots through Tuesday.
 
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