77th Western Intercollegiate
Dates: April 15-17 (Monday-Wednesday)
Location: Pasatiempo Golf Club - Santa Cruz, Calif.
Par/Yardage: Par 70, 6,486 yards
TV: Golf Channel

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team makes its way to Santa Cruz for the 77th Western Intercollegiate Presented by Titleist, April 15-17. The par-70 course at Pasatiempo Golf Club will be played at 6,486 yards. 

Eighteen holes are scheduled for each day with tee times starting at 8:34 a.m. The Anteaters are part of an elite 14-team field that features No. 8 Washington, No. 9 Arizona, No. 17 Texas, No. 21 Cal, No. 25 Oregon, No. 34 San Diego State, No. 38 Stanford, No. 41 BYU, No. 42 Chattanooga, No. 50 UNLV, No. 51 Pepperdine, No. 52 San Jose State (host) and Hawai'i. 

Golf Channel will provide live coverage from 4-7 p.m. (PT) each day.

UCI's 6-count-5 lineup includes Darien Zhao, Yaoting Zou, Jason Tang, Jin Nakao, Rei Harashima and Joshua Lane.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine tied for 17th at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona, April 1-2. Darien Zhao was UCI's top performer, firing a 3-under 69 in the final round. He had three birdies and eagled the par-5, 576-yard 16th hole. Zhao climbed 25 spots in the standings to tie for 45th at 1-under 215 (73-73-69). Rei Harashima also made a move on the final day as he closed out the second round at 2-under 70, before registering a 71 (-1) through the final 18. He tied for 52nd with a 54-hole score of 216 (E). Jason Tang (71-73-73) and Jin Nakao (67-77-73) also tied for 60th at 1-over 217.

BACK TO WORK
Four Anteaters enter the Western Intercollegiate with sub-73 season averages. Senior Darien Zhao leads the way at 71.83, while sophomore Yaoting Zou is second at 72.39. Freshman Jason Tang isn't far behind with a 72.42 average and sophomore Jin Nakao sits at 72.83. Sophomore Rei Harashima is also just above the benchmark at 73.71. Zhao, Nakao, Tang, Zou and Harashima all have at least one round in the 60s and have combined for 19 sub-70 scores.

BREAKING RECORDS
Darien Zhao, UCI's only senior, kicked off the 2023-24 season with a bang as he claimed runner-up honors with a career-best 13-under 200 at the Nick Watney Invitational in September. Zhao opened the tournament with back-to-back sub-70 rounds, carding a 66 (-5) prior to firing a school-record 62 (-9). He finished the first two rounds with 14 birdies and one eagle against only two bogeys for a program-best 36-hole score of 128 (-14). Zhao, a two-time All-Big West selection, has eight career top-10 finishes. 

WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Freshman Jason Tang made a statement in his collegiate debut, tying for sixth at the season-opening Nick Watney Invitational. Tang concluded his first tournament as an Anteater at 10-under 203 (74-65-64). He found his stride with a bogey-free second round to jump 40 spots in the standings, and carried the momentum into the final round where he continued his ascent up the leaderboard with a 64 (-7).

GOING LOW
As a team, the Anteaters recorded the program's second-best score to par at 38-under at the Kapolei Invitational, Oct. 31-Nov. 2. Darien Zhao and Jason Tang led the way at 10-under. Three 'Eaters combined for five sub-70 scores.

UP NEXT
UCI heads to La Quinta, California, for The Big West Championships, April 28-30.