Cal’s Aaron Du, Sampson Zheng win U.S. Amateur Four-Ball title

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Cal teammates Aaron Du and Sampson Zheng capped off a strong week at Kiawah Island with a 2-and-1 victory over Drew Kittleson and Drew Stoltz to win the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship on Wednesday.

The victory comes a week after the Golden Bears missed advancing to the NCAA championship by three shots. Du and Zheng, both seniors next year at Cal, became the first No. 1 seed to win the title.

Du and Zheng took the lead for good on the par-5 11th on the Cassique course when Du hit a 52-degree wedge from 96 yards into the wind to 4 feet for birdie. Two holes later, Zheng hit 6-iron to just inside 15 feet and converted the birdie.

They seized control when Zheng hit 6-iron to 12 feet for birdie on the 16th to restore a 2-up lead, and Kittleson and Stoltz failed to win the 17th to extend the match.

Kittleson, a reinstated amateur, was a runner-up for the third time in USGA events. He and Stoltz lost in the championship match of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball last year, and Kittleson was runner-up to Danny Lee in the 2008 U.S. Amateur.