Men's Golf Heads to La Quinta for Big West Championships

Sunday, May 1

La Quinta Country Club - La Quinta, Calif.

10:30 AM

UC Irvine

Big West Championship

Men's Golf Heads to La Quinta for Big West Championships

April 29, 2022 | Men's Golf

at Big West Championships
Dates: May 1-3 (Sunday-Tuesday)
Location: La Quinta Country Club - La Quinta, Calif.
Par/Yardage: Par 72, 7,056 yards
Live Scoring // Championship Central

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team makes its way to La Quinta, California, for the 2022 Big West Championships, May 1-3. Eighteen holes will be contested each day at the par-72, 7,056-yard course at La Quinta Country Club.

The Anteaters are seeded third and will play with No. 1 UC Davis and No. 2 Long Beach State in the first round. They will hit the links Sunday with tee times starting at 10 a.m. UCI's 5-count-4 lineup includes Darien Zhao, Kolbe Irei, Nathan Irwin, Henry Fitzhugh and Johnny Bai.

BIG WEST NOTABLES
The 'Eaters lead all active league members with eight Big West team titles. Most recently, they hoisted the trophy in 2018, when as the seventh seed, they edged No. 1 UC Davis by one stroke. UCI has also produced four individual conference champions - John Chin (2010, 2008), Mike Lavery (2003) and Ryan Armstrong (2002). In addition, the Anteaters have made 14 NCAA Division I Regional appearances, and advanced to the NCAA Championships on three occasions (2008, 2001, 1992).

CHAMPIONSHIP REWIND
UC Irvine has placed among the top-two in two of the last three Big West Championships as it won the title in 2018 and claimed runner-up honors in 2019. After the cancellation of the 2020 tournament, the Anteaters finished seventh overall at La Quinta Country Club in 2021. Darien Zhao was UCI's top performer, tying for 11th in his Big West debut. Zhao registered a 54-hole total of 218 (79-68-71).

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine was last in action at the prestigious Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club, April 11-13. The Anteaters combined for a 6-count-5 total of 1,135 to tie for 12th with 12th-ranked Stanford. Nathan Irwin led the 'Eaters as he carded a final-round 68 (-2) to climb 22 spots in the standings. Irwin finished in a tie for 51st at 227 (83-76-68). Matt Gunson also tied for 61st with a 54-hole score of 229 (77-78-74), while Henry Fitzhugh (77-78-75) and Kolbe Irei (79-74-77) tied for 67th at 230. Darien Zhao also wrapped up the tournament with a 2-under 68 to move up 12 spots into a tie for 74th (232). Johnny Bai rounded out UCI's lineup in 78th (234).

NEWS & NOTES
• Sophomore Darien Zhao leads UC Irvine with four top-20 finishes and a 73.33 scoring average.
• He tied for 2nd at the OC Collegiate Classic (219) and came in fourth at the UC San Diego Invitational (212).
• Zhao has finished below par in five of his last nine rounds, including a career-best 67 at the Cowboy Classic.
• Kolbe Irei earned his first collegiate victory in February, winning the individual title at the OC Collegiate Classic.
• Irei came in at even-par 216 with a career-low 68 in the second round.
• The sophomore ranks second on the squad with a 73.85 average.
• Senior Nathan Irwin had a top-20 showing at the Nick Watney Invitational (T19th) and UCSD Invitational (T20th).
• Irwin, who has four sub-70 rounds including a collegiate-best 68, is third on the team with a 73.89 average.
• UCI carded its best 18-hole score of the year with a 277 in the second round of the Visit Stockton Invitational.
• In that round, Zhao, Irwin and Irei all registered a 2-under 69.
• Sophomore Henry Fitzhugh has played in every tournament since his arrival at UC Irvine in 2020.

UP NEXT
The 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Golf selection show will air Wednesday, May 4, at 1 p.m. (PT) on Golf Channel. Teams and individuals selected will compete in the NCAA Regionals, May 15-18.