Monday, September 30
Fort Washington Country Club - Fresno, Calif.
8:45 AM
UC Irvine
at
Nick Watney Invitational
'Eaters Head to Fresno for Season-Opening Nick Watney Invitational
September 27, 2019 | Men's Golf
Nick Watney Invitational
Dates: Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2019 (Monday-Tuesday)
Time: 8:45 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Fort Washington Country Club - Fresno, Calif.
Par/Yardage: Par 71 - 6,729 yards
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
Notes (PDF)
IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team will travel to Fresno, Calif., for the season-opening Nick Watney Invitational, Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Thirty-six holes will be contested on Monday before the players are regrouped for the final round on Tuesday. Both days are slated for an 8:45 a.m. shotgun start at Fort Washington Country Club. The par-71 course will be played at 6,729 yards.
The Anteaters are part of a 16-team field that also features BYU, Cal Baptist, Cal Poly, CSUN, Gonzaga, Long Beach State, Pacific, Pepperdine, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Jose State, Seattle U, UC Santa Barbara and host Fresno State.
Ramiz Jamal, Jonathan Kang, Parker Lestz, Matt Gunson and Chris Casey will make up UCI's 5-count-4 lineup.
STORYLINES
• This is the fourth consecutive year the 'Eaters will open the season at the Nick Watney Invitational.
• In 2018, they finished fifth out of 12 teams with an overall score of 864 (288-290-286).
• Ramiz Jamal led the way as he tied for eighth with a career-best 5-under 211 (72-68-71).
• UC Irvine has a veteran squad with eight letterwinners returning, including all five starters from 2018-19.
• Nearly half of the roster is comprised of seniors (4), all of whom were part of last year's Big West runner-up squad.
• Two of them, Ramiz Jamal and Jonathan Kang, also played a key role in the Anteaters' 2018 Big West title.
• Anthony Truong will be competing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Shanghai, Sept. 26-29.
• The winner will be invited to the 2020 Masters and receive direct entry into the 149th Open at Royal St. George's.
MEET THE TEAM
• Senior Ramiz Jamal earned second-team All-Big West honors after leading the 'Eaters with a 72.84 scoring average.
• It was a career-best for Jamal, who saw a two-stroke improvement from 2017-18.
• He had 10 rounds at or below par with 75 birdies and two eagles, one of which was his first collegiate hole-in-one.
• Senior Anthony Truong (73.05) made an immediate impact as a 2018-19 junior transfer from Arizona State.
• Truong garnered All-Big West honorable mention recognition after placing fourth at the conference championships.
• Senior Jonathan Kang was third on the team last year with a 74.08 average through 24 rounds.
• Kang recorded his second-straight top-10 finish at the Big West Championships as he tied for eighth.
• Sophomore Matt Gunson led all freshmen at the 2019 Big West Championships where he tied for 10th.
• Gunson played in eight of UCI's 10 tournaments last season, finishing with a 74.38 scoring average.
• Senior Chris Casey had a 75.00 average in his first season at UCI after transferring from OCC last fall.
• Sophomore Nathan Irwin saw action in eight tournaments as a true freshman (75.86).
• Sophomores Parker Lestz and Ethan Han also return after making an appearance at the 2019 Anteater Invitational.
• Sophomore transfer Trueman Park is UC Irvine's lone newcomer. He played at Little Rock in 2017-18.
• Park was the 2015 Division I State Champion at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz.
COACH'S CORNER
"It is a luxury to have experienced players on the roster and we will lean on our seniors to provide leadership for this team. It is nice to have a group of seniors who have had some success and played pretty well over the summer. This team is full of talented golfers and we are excited for the challenge of working hard to reach our potential this season." - Coach Smolinski on his veteran roster
UP NEXT
• UCI is back in action Oct. 14-15, when it heads to Wood Ranch Golf Club (Simi Valley) for the Bill Cullum Invitational.
Dates: Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2019 (Monday-Tuesday)
Time: 8:45 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Fort Washington Country Club - Fresno, Calif.
Par/Yardage: Par 71 - 6,729 yards
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
Notes (PDF)
IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team will travel to Fresno, Calif., for the season-opening Nick Watney Invitational, Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Thirty-six holes will be contested on Monday before the players are regrouped for the final round on Tuesday. Both days are slated for an 8:45 a.m. shotgun start at Fort Washington Country Club. The par-71 course will be played at 6,729 yards.
The Anteaters are part of a 16-team field that also features BYU, Cal Baptist, Cal Poly, CSUN, Gonzaga, Long Beach State, Pacific, Pepperdine, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Jose State, Seattle U, UC Santa Barbara and host Fresno State.
Ramiz Jamal, Jonathan Kang, Parker Lestz, Matt Gunson and Chris Casey will make up UCI's 5-count-4 lineup.
STORYLINES
• This is the fourth consecutive year the 'Eaters will open the season at the Nick Watney Invitational.
• In 2018, they finished fifth out of 12 teams with an overall score of 864 (288-290-286).
• Ramiz Jamal led the way as he tied for eighth with a career-best 5-under 211 (72-68-71).
• UC Irvine has a veteran squad with eight letterwinners returning, including all five starters from 2018-19.
• Nearly half of the roster is comprised of seniors (4), all of whom were part of last year's Big West runner-up squad.
• Two of them, Ramiz Jamal and Jonathan Kang, also played a key role in the Anteaters' 2018 Big West title.
• Anthony Truong will be competing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Shanghai, Sept. 26-29.
• The winner will be invited to the 2020 Masters and receive direct entry into the 149th Open at Royal St. George's.
MEET THE TEAM
• Senior Ramiz Jamal earned second-team All-Big West honors after leading the 'Eaters with a 72.84 scoring average.
• It was a career-best for Jamal, who saw a two-stroke improvement from 2017-18.
• He had 10 rounds at or below par with 75 birdies and two eagles, one of which was his first collegiate hole-in-one.
• Senior Anthony Truong (73.05) made an immediate impact as a 2018-19 junior transfer from Arizona State.
• Truong garnered All-Big West honorable mention recognition after placing fourth at the conference championships.
• Senior Jonathan Kang was third on the team last year with a 74.08 average through 24 rounds.
• Kang recorded his second-straight top-10 finish at the Big West Championships as he tied for eighth.
• Sophomore Matt Gunson led all freshmen at the 2019 Big West Championships where he tied for 10th.
• Gunson played in eight of UCI's 10 tournaments last season, finishing with a 74.38 scoring average.
• Senior Chris Casey had a 75.00 average in his first season at UCI after transferring from OCC last fall.
• Sophomore Nathan Irwin saw action in eight tournaments as a true freshman (75.86).
• Sophomores Parker Lestz and Ethan Han also return after making an appearance at the 2019 Anteater Invitational.
• Sophomore transfer Trueman Park is UC Irvine's lone newcomer. He played at Little Rock in 2017-18.
• Park was the 2015 Division I State Champion at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz.
COACH'S CORNER
"It is a luxury to have experienced players on the roster and we will lean on our seniors to provide leadership for this team. It is nice to have a group of seniors who have had some success and played pretty well over the summer. This team is full of talented golfers and we are excited for the challenge of working hard to reach our potential this season." - Coach Smolinski on his veteran roster
UP NEXT
• UCI is back in action Oct. 14-15, when it heads to Wood Ranch Golf Club (Simi Valley) for the Bill Cullum Invitational.
Players Mentioned
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