Stanford won the Pac-12 team title (Oregon Athletics photo)
On a windy day at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club, Stanford put up the best effort among its Pac-12 opponents. The Cardinal won the league title for the fourth time in six years. It’s also the third consecutive victory for Stanford after
coming from behind last week to win the Western Intercollegiate, and winning its home event before that.
The last time Stanford won three-consecutive tournaments was in 2013-14, when it claimed The Goodwin, Western Intercollegiate, Pac-12 Championships and an NCAA Regional.
Stanford trailed Cal by four shots to start the day, but a 4-over 359 in the play-six-count-five format was the best score of any team on Thursday. Stanford’s closing stretch played a big role in its victory. The Cardinal counted 10 birdies over the closing seven holes, which fits a trend that Stanford head coach Conrad Ray saw all week.
“That was usually where we had our offense going and the same held true today,” he said.
Stanford finished the week at 7 under. UCLA was second at even and Cal was third at 1 over. Contributions came from throughout the Stanford lineup, with four of six players earning top-10 finishes. Senior Isaiah Salinda, who won the individual title at the Western, led that effort with his fifth-place finish.
"Momentum is a real thing in team golf and I think our guys are feeling that," said Ray. "Our guys are motivated to see where we can ride this thing. We have great young team and they are hungry to go win."
Stanford will host an NCAA Regional May 13-15. Regional assignments will be revealed next week on the Golf Channel.
Cal senior Collin Morikawa won the individual title by four shots with his 12-under total (68-70-74-70).
"This is definitely one of the most special wins so far," Morikawa said. "To have the Pac-12's back at Eugene Country Club where the NCAA's were held my freshman year and to come back three years later and win is very memorable. I knew I was playing well this week and just wanted to put everything out there.
"I've been so close this year and really throughout all of college," Morikawa added. "I've learned so much being with the team and it's refreshing to see it all come together."
Information from Stanford Athletics, Cal Athletics used in this report
ABOUT THE
Pac-12 Championship
72-hole men's collegiate championship of the
Pac-12 Conference with simultaneous team and
individual competitions. Unlike most college
tournaments, the best five scores of six players
account for the team score each day.
View Complete Tournament Information