at Big West Championships
Dates: April 30-May 2 (Sunday-Tuesday)
Location: La Quinta Country Club - La Quinta, Calif.
Par/Yardage: Par 72, 7,056 yards
Championship Central

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team makes its way to La Quinta, California, for the 2023 Big West Championships, April 30-May 2. The three-day tournament will be contested at La Quinta Country Club with the par-72 course being played at 7,056 yards. Eighteen holes are scheduled for each day.
 
The fifth-seeded Anteaters are slated to open the tournament alongside No. 4 CSUN and No. 6 Hawai'i in Sunday's first round with their tee times starting at 10:50 a.m. No. 1 Long Beach State, No. 2 Cal State Fullerton and No. 3 UC Davis will kick things off at 10 a.m., while No. 7 Cal Poly, No. 8 UC Santa Barbara and No. 9 UC Riverside are scheduled for an 11:40 a.m. start.
 
UCI's 5-count-4 lineup includes Darien Zhao, Rei Harashima, Jin Nakao, Andy Zou and Johnny Bai.
 
BIG WEST NOTABLES
The Big West has had a different team champion in each of the last six tournaments held (2016-22). The 'Eaters lead all active league members with eight conference titles. They most recently hoisted the trophy in 2018, when as the seventh seed, they edged No. 1 UC Davis by one stroke. UC Irvine 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 finished fifth with a 5-count-4 total of 880 (290-296-294) at the 2022 Big West Championships. Darien Zhao led the way in third with a 54-hole score of 2-under 214 (70-71-73). It was the best individual showing by an Anteater at the conference tournament since David Kim tied for third in 2018. Johnny Bai was also 15th at 220 (73-75-72). UC Davis claimed the team title, while the Aggies' Thomas Hutchison was the individual medalist.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Darien Zhao tied for sixth in a Western Intercollegiate field of 92 golfers. He placed ahead of nine of the 15 ranked individuals with a score of 2-under 208 (67-68-73). Johnny Bai and Jin Nakao tied for 62nd at 222, while Rei Harashima and Andy Zou tied for 77th.
 
NEWS & NOTES
• Darien Zhao has been the Anteaters' top finisher in each of his two Big West Championship appearances.
• Zhao was third as a sophomore in 2022 and 11th as a freshman in 2021.
• This year, Zhao leads the squad with a 71.83 average.
• He has come in below par in 13 of his 29 rounds with seven sub-70 scores.
• Zhao also owns a team-best three top-10 finishes, most recently tying for sixth at the Western Intercollegiate.
• He also tied for first at the Bill Cullum Invitational and tied for eighth at The Joust.
• Jin Nakao, Rei Harashima and Andy Zou will be making their Big West Championship debuts.
• In his freshman season, Harashima has put up six sub-70 rounds and a 72.37 scoring average.
• He had his best collegiate showing at The Joust where he took third at 4-under 209 (65-73-71).
• Harashima added top-20 performances at the Bill Cullum, Visit Stockton and UCSD Invitationals.
• Nakao (72.77) and Zou (73.43) also have sub-74.00 season averages.
• Nakao carded 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.
• The 'Eaters came in below par and finished among the top-12 in each of their four fall tournaments.
• UC Irvine has a seven-member squad, marking the first time it has fewer than nine on the roster since 2011-12.