clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Golden Nuggets: Building on a Tremendous Year, Cal Men's Golf Hopes to Compete for a National Title in 2013

While several Cal teams enjoyed tremendous success this past year, the men's golf team's success was a most welcome surprise.

With a core of three of the most consistent golfers in the country, a veteran coach, and a skinny freshman with limited power, the Bears did what nobody expected them to do: compete for a national title.

Though Cal was unable to finish a comeback against top-seeded Alabama in the NCAA Tournament semifinals, the season was already historic before the team even reached that point.

"It’s been the best season in Cal golf history," said head coach Steve Desimone. "We won a national championship in 2004, but if you look at what was accomplished (this year) — six tournament wins, the first conference championship, the first regional win, the academic accomplishments with five guys in Haas [business school] — it doesn’t get any better than this."

The Bears will return all five golfers that competed at the NCAA competition, putting the squad in prime position to compete for a national title next season. Senior Jeff Hamm is graduating, but Michael Weaver will be back after redshirting this year.

"None of us see this thing slowing down," Desimone said. "We were so close that we want another crack at this."

After the jump it's all Ted Miller all the time as every non-ESPN news source appears to have dried up this week.

Football