Bill Cullum Invitational
Dates: Oct. 15-16, 2018 (Monday-Tuesday)
Location: Wood Ranch Golf Club - Simi Valley, Calif.
Par/Yardage: Par 72 - 6,849 yards
Host: CSUN
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com

UC Irvine Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team continues its fall season at the Bill Cullum Invitational in Simi Valley, Oct. 15-16. Thirty-six holes will be contested on Monday, while the final round is set to take place on Tuesday at the par-72, 6,849-yard Wood Ranch Golf Club. Both days will have a shotgun start at 8 a.m.
 
The Anteaters are part of a 17-team field that features Air Force, Boise State, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Hawai'i, Idaho, San Diego, Southern Utah, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, Utah State, Utah Valley, Weber State and host CSUN. Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.com.

STORYLINES
• UCI's 5-count-4 lineup consists of Ramiz Jamal, Anthony Truong, Nathan Irwin, Matt Gunson and Chris Casey.
• Junior Jonathan Kang will also be competing as an individual.
• This is the seventh year in a row UC Irvine is competing in the Bill Cullum Invitational.
• Junior Ramiz Jamal is coming off his first collegiate top-10 finish at the season-opening Nick Watney Invitational (8th).
• Junior transfer Anthony Truong had a strong Anteater debut, carding a 1-under 215 last week.
• UCI won the program's eighth Big West championship in 2018, which is tops among all active league members.
• The 'Eaters advanced to NCAA Regional play for the 11th time in the last 18 years.
• UC Irvine lost five seniors to graduation following the 2017-18 campaign, but have reloaded with six new players.
• UCI will host a tournament for the first time since 2016, opening the spring season with the Anteater Invitational.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• UC Irvine finished fifth out of 12 teams at the Nick Watney Invitational (Oct. 1-2).
• It was a big improvement from last year when the 'Eaters were 14th out of 16 at the same tournament.
• Their overall team score of 864 (288-290-286) also would have been their second-best of the entire 2017-18 season.
• Ramiz Jamal led the way as he tied for eighth with a career-low 5-under 211 (72-68-71).
• Anthony Truong closed out the tournament with back-to-back rounds of 2-under 70 to tie for 19th (215).
• Both Nathan Irwin and Matt Gunson had at least one round at or below par in their collegiate debuts.
 
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
• Anthony Truong is a junior transfer from Arizona State where he competed in nine tournaments.
• Truong had a low collegiate round of 66 at the 2017 ASU Thunderbird Invitational.
• Junior Chris Casey played two seasons at Orange Coast College.
• Casey helped the Pirates to a conference title and a third-place finish at the CCCAA State Championships in 2018.
• Freshman Matt Gunson was a three-time CIF Southern Divisional qualifier at Beckman High School.
• Freshmen Nathan Irwin and Parker Lestz were teammates at Loyola High School.
• They were both members of the team that claimed the 2017 CIF title and won multiple league championships.
• Freshman Ethan Han was a three-time league MVP at Brea Olinda High School.
 
BIG WEST FLASHBACK
• The 'Eaters, who were seeded seventh, pulled off a major upset by claiming the 2018 Big West title.
• They put together their three best rounds of the year to edge No. 1 seed UC Davis at 12-under 852 (284-285-283).
• Jonathan Kang finished fifth at the 2018 conference championship with a season-best 4-under 212 (69-71-72).
• Kang was recognized for his performance as he received All-Big West honorable mention distinction.
• Ramiz Jamal also tied for 11th at even-par 216 (71-75-70).
 
UP NEXT
• UCI will close out its fall slate at the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational, Oct. 25-27.