46TH ANNUAL ASU THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL
Dates: April 14-15, 2018 (Saturday-Sunday)
Location: Karsten Golf Course - Tempe, Ariz.
Par/Yardage: Par 71 - 7,032 yards
Host: Arizona State
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
Tournament History: thesundevils.com

UC Irvine Results/Statistics

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team heads to Tempe, Ariz., this weekend for the 46th annual ASU Thunderbird Invitational, April 14-15. It will be the Anteaters' final tune-up before the Big West Championships.  
 
The 'Eaters are set to make an appearance at Arizona State's par-71, 7,032-yard Karsten Golf Course for the second year in a row. Thirty-six holes will be contested on Saturday, and the final 18 holes are scheduled for Sunday with tee times starting at 7 a.m. from holes 1 and 10 on both days.
 
UCI will once again face a number of ranked opponents as it is set to square off against a 17-team field that includes No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 11 Baylor, No. 25 Arizona State, No. 27 UNLV, No. 32 Arizona, No. 43 Colorado, No. 44 Colorado State, Boise State, Denver, Hawai'i, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Utah, Washington State and Wyoming.
 
THE LINEUP
UC Irvine's lineup for this weekend features David Kim, Ryan O'Connor, Jonathan Young, Ramiz Jamal and Jonathan Kang.
 
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring can be found at Golfstat.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine is coming off a 14th-place finish at the Western Intercollegiate last weekend. The 'Eaters compiled a 6-count-5 team score of 1101 (358-378-365). No 20 North Carolina won the title by 10 strokes at 1036.
 
Senior David Kim led the Anteaters for the eighth-straight tournament this year. He posted a top-25 showing in an elite field of 96 at the renowned Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz. Kim's third round was his best of the tournament as he carded a 1-under 69 to climb seven spots in the standings into a tie for 24th with a 54-hole total of 1-over 211 (70-72-69). He now has four sub-70 scores over his last nine rounds.
 
Seniors Ryan O'Connor (74-75-74) and Chris Parkinson (73-76-74) tied for 72nd at 223, while junior Ramiz Jamal (72-79-74) and sophomore Jonathan Kang (69-81-75) both shot a 225 to tie for 78th. Kang's 69 in the first round was a career best. Senior Jonathan Young was also 86th with a three-round score of 229.
 
NEWS AND NOTES
• Senior David Kim has been the Anteaters' top finisher in each of their eight tournaments. He leads the team with three eagles, 80 birdies and a 72.08 scoring average.
 
• Kim recorded the first hole-in-one of his collegiate career in the second round of the John A. Burns Intercollegiate at Wailua Golf Course in Lihu'e, Kaua'i. His ace came with a six-iron on the 178-yard seventh hole.
 
• The hole-in-one gave him a big boost in the round as he ended up going 5-under on the final four holes for a season-best 66 (-6).
 
• Kim went on to match that performance with another 6-under 66 in the second round of the Sacramento State Invitational. He was the only golfer to post two sub-70 rounds in the tournament as he registered a total score of 212 (77-66-69) to claim his second runner-up honor of the year. It was his 14th career top-10 performance.
 
• Kim's 66 bettered his previous season low by one stroke as he also shot a 67 through the first 18 of the Nick Watney Invitational on Oct. 2. So far this season, he has nine rounds of 70 or better.
 
• Kim earned his second career Big West Men's Golfer of the Month award for his efforts in October. He was the runner-up at the Bill Cullum Invitational, 18th at the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational and 30th at the season-opening Nick Watney Invitational. The reigning Big West Player of the Year was at under-par scoring in five of nine rounds played. Three of those came at the Bill Cullum Invite where Kim shot a 71, 70 and 68 for a 54-hole season-best of 209 (-7).
 
• Senior Jonathan Young had a career-best seventh-place finish at the Sacramento State Invitational. He put together his most consistent outing of the year with rounds of 73, 71 and 73 to tie his season-best total of 217 (+1). It was his first top-10 performance of the 2017-18 campaign.
 
• Young also posted back-to-back rounds of 2-under 70 to tie for 21st at the Bill Cullum Invitational (217).
 
• Senior Ryan O'Connor had his best showing at the Waves Challenge where he came in 16th (231). The Irvine native was also the Anteaters' co-leader at the Nick Watney Invitational, recording a 223 to tie for 30th. He carded a then season-best 73 in the third round to jump 14 spots in the standings on the final day.
 
• O'Connor matched his career-low of 71 in the first round of the John A. Burns Intercollegiate (Feb. 15).
 
• Sophomore Jonathan Kang has played in seven of eight tournaments this year, carding a season-best 220 (75-71-74) at the Saint Mary's Invitational. He also tied for 23rd at the Sacramento State Invitational and tied for 25th at the Waves Challenge.
 
• This past weekend, Kang fired a season-low 69 (-1) in the first round of the Western Intercollegiate. He had three birdies, including two over the final four holes, to offset just a pair of bogeys. Kang matched his career-best round as he also shot a 69 as a freshman at the 2016 Bill Cullum Invitational.
 
• Junior Ramiz Jamal notched a career-low 69 in the first round of the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational and went on to finish with a season-best 216 (E) to tie for 35th. Jamal added a top-30 showing at the Sacramento State Invitational.
 
• Eight-time Big West Coach of the Year Paul Smolinski is in his 20th season at the helm of the UCI men's golf program. The long-time coach has a veteran squad this year with eight returners, including five seniors.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will have two weeks to prepare for the Big West Championships which are set to run from April 29-May 1 at Industry Hills Golf Club in the City of Industry.