LA QUINTA, Calif. - The seventh-seeded UC Irvine men's golf team sits in fourth place after Sunday's first round of the 2024 Big West Championship at La Quinta Country Club.
 
The Anteaters combined for a 5-count-4 total of 2-over 290. They are nine strokes behind No. 2 seed Cal State Fullerton (281), which holds the lead through 18 holes. Top-seeded Long Beach State is second (286) and No. 3 seed Cal Poly is third (287).
 
Sophomore Rei Harashima led three 'Eaters in the top-15 as his 4-under 68 was the third-best round of the day. He made the turn at even par before firing an eagle on the par-5, 543-yard 11th hole. He then birdied the 12th, 13th and 16th.
 
Freshman Jason Tang is tied for 11th at 1-over 73, while senior Darien Zhao is tied for 14th (74).
 
Sophomore Yaoting Zou carded a 3-over 75 to tie for 20th and classmate Jin Nakao rounded out UCI's lineup in a tie for 37th (79).
 
Cal State Fullerton's Tegan Andrews led the field with a 9-under 63.
 
UC Irvine will be paired with UC Davis and Hawai'i in Monday's second round with tee times starting at 10:50 a.m.