at Nick Watney Invitational
Dates: Sept. 26-27 (Monday-Tuesday)
Location: Kings River Country Club - Kingsburg, Calif.
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com

IRVINE, Calif. - For the fifth time in the last six years, UC Irvine men's golf is headed to the Central Valley to open the season at the Nick Watney Invitational, Sept. 26-27.
 
The two-day tournament will be held at Kings River Country Club in Kingsburg, California. Thirty-six holes will be contested on Monday, while the final round is set for Tuesday. Both days will have an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The 'Eaters are part of a 16-team field that also features California Baptist, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Long Beach State, Pacific, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, Seattle U, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UT Arlington and host Fresno State.
 
UCI's 5-count-4 lineup includes Darien Zhao, Kolbe Irei, Rei Harashima, Jin Nakao and Andy Zou. Harashima and Zou will both be making their collegiate debuts.
 
QUICK HITS
• This will mark UC Irvine's seventh appearance in the Nick Watney Invitational over the last nine years.
• During that stretch, the Anteaters had a high finish of third in 2014.
• Last year, UCI placed sixth overall, while Darien Zhao was the team's top individual performer, tying for 15th.
• Zhao led the 'Eaters in 2021-22 with three-top five showings and a 73.13 scoring average through 30 rounds.
• He also earned first-team All-Big West honors after coming in third at the conference championships.
• Kolbe Irei ranked second on the squad last season with a 73.97 average.
• Irei had three top-20 outings, including an individual victory at the OC Collegiate Classic in Coto de Caza.
• UC Irvine has a seven-member squad, marking the first time they have fewer than nine on their roster since 2011-12.
 
THE RETURNERS
Junior Darien Zhao led the Anteaters last year with a 73.13 scoring average. He had three top-five finishes, including a third-place showing at the Big West Championships to earn first-team all-conference honors. Zhao also tied for second at the Orange County Collegiate Classic and took fourth at the UC San Diego Invitational. In addition, he placed among the top-20 at the Nick Watney Invitational and the Wyoming Cowboy Classic where he carded a season-best 6-under 210. On the year, Zhao had 11 rounds at or below par with five sub-70 scores.
 
UCI also welcomes back junior Kolbe Irei and sophomore Johnny Bai, along with redshirt freshman Jin Nakao. Irei ranked second on the squad with a 73.97 average in 2021-22. He earned his first collegiate victory as a sophomore, winning the individual title at the OC Collegiate Classic. Bai also made strides throughout the season with his best collegiate finish coming at the Big West Championships where he tied for 15th. Nakao, meanwhile, utilized a redshirt season after suffering an injury early last fall.
 
THE NEWCOMERS
UC Irvine brings in three newcomers who are expected to contribute right away. Sophomore transfer Kevin McGough joins the Anteaters from Skidmore College where he was a 2022 Division III Ping All-American. In addition, he was the Liberty League Rookie of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection after winning the individual title at the league championships. Incoming freshmen Rei Harashima and Andy Zou also had impressive prep and junior careers. Harashima was an All-CIF selection as a senior at Eastlake High School, while Zou was a four-year letterwinner and team captain at Santa Margarita Catholic High School.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine makes its way to The Oaks Club at Valencia for the Bill Cullum Invitational, Oct. 10-11.