JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's golf team shot a season-low 292 in Tuesday's third and final round to place seventh at The Joust, while Jerry Wu posted a career-best fifth-place finish for the Tritons.

California Baptist hosted the 54-hole, 15-team tournament Monday and Tuesday at Goose Creek Golf Club.

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HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego finished with a three-round total of 886, 34-over par on the par 71, 6,735 yard layout.

The Tritons were in ninth place Monday after logging rounds of 298 and 296. Their 292, the fourth-best score in the third round, elevated them to seventh place. The team's previous low round of the 2021-22 season was a 294 at the Nick Watney Invitational back in September.

Wu carded rounds of 78, 69, and 69 to finish with a 3-over par 216. The sophomore was in 19th place heading into the third round but his second-straight 69 rocketed him up 14 spots on the leader board. He recorded 11 birdies over the two days, including three straight in his final round.

Playing alongside Wu for the Tritons were redshirt freshman Davis McDowell, junior Elliot Bunyaviroch, freshman Francis Catalano, and senior Ryan Vaughan. Sophomore Davis Lee played as an individual in the 87-player field and did not figure into the team's scoring.

T-5th. Jerry Wu, +3 (78-69-69--216)
T-23. Davis McDowell, +9 (75-76-71--222)
T-37. Elliot Bunyaviroch, +12 (75-74-76--225)
T-51. Francis Catalano, +14 (74-77-76--227)
66. Ryan Vaughan, +19 (74-77-81--232)
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T-58. Davis Lee, +16 (76-74-79--229) (individual)

The Tritons were third in the field in par 5 scoring, averaging 4.90 strokes and finishing 6-under par on the long holes.

Bunyaviroch was the lone player in the tourney to record two eagles - one on the par 4 eighth hole in the opening round and another on the par 4 14th in the second round.

Weber State ran away with the team victory by finishing with an 870, 18-over par. Morehead State took second place, 10 strokes back with an 880 (+28), and California Baptist was a close third with an 881 (+29).

Places two through eight were tightly packed. UC San Diego finished just six strokes back of second-place Morehead State.

No players shot under par for the tournament. Weber State's Brody Childs was the individual medalist with a 214 (+1). He shot rounds of 75, 70, and 69. Three players were just a single stroke back of Childs to tie for second place and Wu was just one stroke behind that trio. 

Cal State Fullerton's Harry Feam (tie for 10th) cupped a hole-in-one on the par-3 fifth, which was playing at 179 yards.

With some windy conditions, the Goose Creek course played to a 75.5 stroke average overall. The second round came in at a tournament-high 76.15.

Joining UC San Diego out of the Big West Conference were Cal State Fullerton (4th), UC Santa Barbara (tie for 5th), CSUN (8th), and UC Riverside (tie for 11th).

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WHAT HEAD COACH FRED HANOVER HAD TO SAY
"The team continues to improve. We go off to a very hot start in the third round and couldn't sustain it, but next time I'm sure we'll finish it off."

"Jerry Wu's play over the last two rounds was spectacularly good. To shoot 69-69 in the cold and wind plus tough hole locations showed he can really play and we hope this is the first of many strong performances during his career."

"Davis McDowell closed strong and continues his outstanding play."

"The next tournament [Lamkin San Diego Classic] will present our biggest challenge since moving to Division One. The Lamkin will feature three top-25 teams and several more top-50 teams. We will be preparing diligently over the next two weeks."

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UP NEXT
Following a week off, the Tritons stay local to compete in the Lamkin San Diego Classic. The tournament, hosted by San Diego State, runs March 7-8 at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista.

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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.