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Sophomore Mika Jin shot a 5-under par 67 on Monday, the Bears’ best round in three seasons.
Cal Shoots 7-Under In Second Round, Sits In Fourth Place At Gunrock Invitational
SACRAMENTO – The Cal women’s golf team continued its recent success at the Gunrock Invitational on Monday, reeling off its best team round in 11 seasons and sitting in fourth place in the 11-team field at Del Paso Country Club.
The Bears shot a 7-under 281 in the second round and are 3-under for the tournament. The second-round score was Cal’s lowest since it shot 8-under 280 in the final round of the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational on Oct. 6, 2011.
“Our team feels good walking on to this course,” Cal head coach Nancy McDaniel said. “It was a shotgun start and we started on a couple of challenging par-4s, so you have to be focused and ready to go. We were ready, but we also knew we had to stay patient because a string of par-5s were coming.”
The Bears won the Gunrock Invitational in 2020, and last year the team recorded its best team score in six seasons.
Sophomore Mika Jin shot the first two under-par rounds of her career – including a 5-under 67 in the second round. The 67 was the lowest by a Cal women’s golfer since Marianne Li also carded a 67 at Meadow Club on March 18, 2019.
Jin is at 6-under par for the tournament, in a tie for fourth place individually and seven strokes off the lead.
“What Mika did today does not surprise us at all,” McDaniel said. “She is striking the ball really well. It seemed like she knew her yardages very well and hit a lot of greens, and also had a competitive mindset. When you’re making birdies and striking it well, it’s really fun to be out there. It’s sad when it ends. It’s dark and you still want to play.”
Sophomore Cristina Ochoa shot a career-best 3-under par 69 in the second round and is at even-par for the tournament, in a tie for 22nd.
The Bears finish off the Gunrock Invitational with the final round on Tuesday.