Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate
Dates: March 1-3 (Wednesday-Friday)
Location: Classic Club - Palm Desert, Calif.
Par/Yardage: Par 72, 7,305 yards

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team makes its way to Palm Desert, California, this week for the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate, March 1-3.
 
The three-day tournament will be contested at the Classic Club with the par-72 course being played at 7,305 yards. Eighteen holes will be contested each day. Due to expected windy and rainy conditions on Wednesday, the format for Round 1 has been switched to a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m., while Thursday and Friday are still slated for tee times at 7 a.m.
 
The Anteaters are part of a 16-team field that also includes Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, No. 47 Colorado, Fresno State, Hawai'i, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, Tarleton State, Texas State, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UT Arlington, Utah, Utah Tech and host Wyoming.
 
UC Irvine's lineup is comprised of Rei Harashima, Darien Zhao, Jin Nakao, Andy Zou and Johnny Bai. Kevin McGough will also be competing as an individual.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine claimed runner-up honors with four individuals placing among the top-20 at The Joust at Goose Creek Golf Club, Feb. 20-21. The Anteaters matched their best finish of the 2022-23 season as they also took second at the Visit Stockton Invitational back in October. UCI combined for a 5-count-4 total of 859 (279-289-297), coming in four strokes behind team champion Cal State Fullerton. The 'Eaters owned a six-stroke lead after the conclusion of the second round but were unable to hold off the surging Titans. Rei Harashima led UC Irvine with his first collegiate top-10 showing as he was third overall at 4-under 209 (65-73-71). His first-round 65 stood as the best 18-hole score of the tournament. Darien Zhao added his second top-10 performance of the season, tying for eighth at 2-over 215 (71-68-76). Andy Zou also tied for 11th at 4-over 217 (72-72-73), while Jin Nakao tied for 18th with a 219 (72-70-77).
 
FALL RECAP
UC Irvine came in below par and finished among the top-12 in each of its four fall tournaments. The Anteaters had their best showing at the Visit Stockton Invitational where they tied for second with a season-low 16-under 836 (278-276-282). The 'Eaters recorded six sub-70 rounds at Stockton Golf & Country Club, led by Jin Nakao who bookended the tournament with a 65 and 67.
 
NEWS & NOTES
• UC Irvine returns to the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate after tying for 12th last year.
• The Anteaters opened their spring season on one of their home courses for the fifth year in a row.
• Freshman Rei Harashima, who has six sub-70 rounds, owns a team-best 71.39 scoring average.
• Harashima had his first top-10 collegiate showing at The Joust where he took third at 4-under (65-73-71--209).
• He was also UCI's top performer at the Ka'anapali Classic and OC Collegiate Classic.
• Junior Darien Zhao is right on Harashima's heels with a 71.94 average and five rounds in the 60s.
• Zhao had his best collegiate finish at the Bill Cullum Invitational where he tied for first.
• Freshmen Jin Nakao and Andy Zou, and junior Kolbe Irei, also have sub-73.00 season averages.
• Nakao, who sits at 72.28, has two of the Anteaters' best rounds of the year with a 65 and 67.
• Nakao and Harashima's 65 is tied for sixth in program history and is UCI's best individual 18-hole score since 2017.
• UC Irvine has a seven-member squad, marking the first time it has fewer than nine on the roster since 2011-12.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will have a three-week layoff before returning to competition at Torrey Pines Golf Course for the UCSD Golf Invitational, March 27-28.