The 2021-22 athletic season will be the 19th for head men’s and women’s golf coach Val Verhunce since starting with Sonoma State back in 2004. Verhunce has led the men’s golf program to 8 straight NCAA Tournament appearances including their most recent appearance during the spring of 2021 when the Seawomves men’s and women’s golf programs were granted approval for spring competition. The women’s golf team had made 5 straight NCAA Tournament appearances through the 2019 spring season. Despite the spring 2020 season being suspended due to COVID-19, both golf programs were given approval to compete during the spring of 2021. The men and women each competed in four tournaments allowing them both to be NCAA Tournament eligible.

The women would take the team championship in three of their four tournaments to finish an impressive spring season but would not be selected for the NCAA Tournament. The men would also have an impressive spring season with three first place finishes and a second place team finish in their very own SSU Spring Invite. Their success would allow them receive the #1 west region ranking for the regional tournament in DuPont, Washington. There, the Seawolves would finish third in the regional tournament and qualify for the National Championship in Florida. Sonoma State would finish 11th out of 16 teams to conclude a successful and shortened spring season.     

Chris Massoletti joined Cal in August of 2019 after spending the previous three seasons (2016-19) as an assistant coach with the New Mexico men’s golf program. Massoletti also spent three campaigns as the head coach for both the men’s and women’s golf teams at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio (2014-17) following two seasons as a volunteer assistant for the men’s golf program at St. Edward’s in Austin (2012-14).

In an abbreviated 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Massoletti helped navigate the team through six tournaments which included three top-10 team finishes and a pair of individuals who finished in the top-10 at separate events. The Bears closed out the season hosting the 2021 Pac-12 Championship at Mayacama in Santa Rosa where they finished seventh. Cal bolstered its roster with the addition of four new players in the offseason.