After 36 holes of play in the Arizona Intercollegiate Tournament at Arizona National Golf Club, No. 33 California has opened up a seven-stroke lead over second-place Arizona.
The Golden Bears—led by freshman Michael Weaver, who currently sits at 10 under par—had all five players below par. This tournament starts off the second half of the season for Cal and follows an excellent first half in which the Bears won two of the four events in which they participated.
UA junior Rich Saferian, at 8 under par, posted UA’s low individual score on the day. The Wildcats had four out of five players score under par, and the team posted a cumulative score of 17 under par.
“”I was hitting the ball really well and I was just trying to keep it in play off of the tee,”” said Rich Saferian. “”The course was a big advantage for us as far as knowing what holes to take it easy on and what holes you need to take advantage of.””
Fresno State and Pepperdine round out the top four teams. Texas A&M, Florida and New Mexico are in a three-way tie for fifth place at a team score of 8 under par.
The individual leaders in the tournament are John Catlin of Nex Mexico and Michael Weaver of Cal, both at 10 under par. Saferian is locked in a tie for third with Bhavik Patel of Fresno State at 8 under par.
Saferian is one of four Arizona golfers to finish in the top 20 for the day. The final round will tee off at 8 a.m. today.