'Eaters Travel to Pacific Northwest for Redhawk Invitational

Monday, April 3

Chambers Bay Golf Course - University Place, Wash.

8:00 AM

UC Irvine

Seattle U Redhawk Invitational

'Eaters Travel to Pacific Northwest for Redhawk Invitational

April 02, 2023 | Men's Golf

Live Scoring Tournament Notes

at Seattle U Redhawk Invitational
Dates: April 3-4 (Monday-Tuesday)
Location: Chambers Bay Golf Course - University Place, Wash.
Par/Yardage: Par 71, 6,989 yards

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team makes the trek to the Pacific Northwest for the Seattle U Redhawk Invitational, April 3-4.

The two-day tournament will be contested at Chambers Bay with the par-71 course being played at 6,989 yards. Action is set to get underway with 36 holes on Monday, while the final 18 are slated for Tuesday. Both days will have an 8 a.m. shotgun start.

The Anteaters are part of a 17-team field that also includes Army, Boise State, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, George Mason, George Washington, Gonzaga, Idaho, No. 53 Michigan State, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, No. 73 Oregon State, Sacramento State, SIUE, UC San Diego and host Seattle U. No. 30 Washington and Nevada will also have individuals competing.

UC Irvine's 5-count-4 lineup is comprised of Rei Harashima, Darien Zhao, Jin Nakao, Andy Zou and Johnny Bai.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine took seventh at the UC San Diego Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course, March 27-28. The Anteaters closed out the tournament with a 5-count-4 total of 14-under 850 (279-283-288). Rei Harashima and Darien Zhao led the 'Eaters in a tie for 19th. After firing back-to-back 70s in the first two rounds, Harashima came in at even par over the final 18 for a 4-under 212. Zhao also had a consistent outing to finish at 4-under (70-72-70). Jin Nakao tied for 25th at 3-under 213 (69-71-73), while Andy Zou (74-70-73) and Johnny Bai (70-74-73) tied for 45th.

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 Chambers Bay Golf Course for the first time since the 2019 Redhawk Invitational.
• Freshman Rei Harashima, who has six sub-70 rounds, owns a team-best 71.92 scoring average.
• Harashima has been the Anteaters' top performer in four of the team's eight tournaments.
• He had his best collegiate showing at The Joust where he took third at 4-under 209 (65-73-71).
• Harashima also placed among the top-20 at the Bill Cullum, Visit Stockton and UCSD Invitationals.
• Through eight tournaments, junior Darien Zhao has taken just three more strokes than Harashima for a 72.04 average.
• Zhao has come in below par 11 times this season, including five sub-70 rounds.
• He is the only 'Eater with multiple top-10 finishes in 2022-23.
• Zhao tied for first at the Bill Cullum Invitational and tied for eighth at The Joust.
• Freshmen Jin Nakao and Andy Zou also have sub-74.00 season averages.
• Nakao, who sits at 72.67, has two of the Anteaters' best rounds of the year with a 65 and 67.
• Harashima matched Nakao with a season-best 65 in the first round of The Joust on Feb. 20.
• Nakao's and Harashima's 65 is tied for 6th 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 heads to Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz for the Western Intercollegiate, April 10-12. The three-day tournament will be televised on GOLF Channel. That will be the Anteaters' final tune-up before the Big West Championships in La Quinta, California, April 30-May 2.