FRESNO, Calif. - Following 36 holes of play at the Nick Watney Invitational Monday, the UC San Diego men's golf team is in 13th place.

Fresno State is hosting the 14-team tournament at the San Joaquin Country Club.

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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons got off to a slow start, carding a 306 (+22) in the opening round. They improved by 12 strokes in the second round, shooting a 294 (+10) to total a 600 (+32) on the par-71, 7,001-yard layout.

Four Tritons are tied for 53rd place including Francis Catalano (79-72--151, +9), Ethan Chen (75-76--151, +9), Davis McDowell (75-76--151, +9), and Ryan Vaughan (77-74--151, +9). Elliot Bunyaviroch is tied for 68th.

A trio of Tritons earned big jumps in the standings after the second round. Catalano improved by 21 spots, Bunyaviroch moved up 11, and Vaughan climbed seven rungs.
 
Bunyaviroch and Catalano each shot a 72 (+1) in the second round, the lowest of the day for UC San Diego.

Fresno State (281-279--560, -8) is at the front of the pack, six strokes ahead of the three teams tied for second place - Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, and Sacramento State. Those four are the only teams that are currently under par. The next closest team is California Baptist at 10-over par.

Individually, 14 players are under par. Felix Schrott of CSUN is in the top spot alone, firing rounds of 67 and 68 for a 7-under 135. 

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TRITON TIDBITS
• Redshirt freshman Davis McDowell made his collegiate debut.
• The Tritons' 294 in the second round was their lowest round of the season thus far.
• The low round of the day was a 66, shot by two players in the second round.
• There are 84 players in the field, 70 playing for a team and 14 playing as individuals.
• This is the first time Fresno State has hosted its annual tourney since 2016.
• It is the 57th running of the Nick Watney Invitational, originally called the Fresno State Classic.
• Notable winners of the tourney include Tom Watson, Craig Stadler, Bobby Clampett, Billy Andrade, Phil Mickelson, and Nick Watney.

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UP NEXT
The third and final round tees of Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. It can be followed with live scoring. Third round pairings can be found here.

For the team's complete fall schedule, click here.

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.