EL MACERO, Calif. – The UC San Diego men's golf team improved by eight strokes in the second round of the three-day El Macero Classic on Thursday. The Tritons shot a three-over par 291 as a team in the second round to improve to 13th place overall.
With 18 holes remaining, the Tritons are just two strokes from 12th place and six strokes out of ninth place in the 14-team field. Long Beach State sits atop the leaderboard through 36 holes with an eight-under 568. Through two days, UC San Diego has shot a 14-over 590.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons began on the front nine in the second round, teeing off 45 minutes earlier than they had in the opening round. On the second hole, UC San Diego built momentum with four Tritons shooting a birdie on the par 5, 540-yard second. For freshman
Francis Catalano and junior
Elliot Bunyaviroch, it marked their second straight day with a birdie on two. Redshirt freshman
Davis McDowell improved his scoring by five strokes over the first nine holes. Overall, the Tritons were +2 on the front nine.
After making the turn, UC San Diego continued its steady play. Catalano registered four more birdies on the back nine, finishing an even par with a 72. McDowell played even on the back nine, heading to the clubhouse with a team best 71 in the second round.
UC SAN DIEGO RESULTS (through two rounds)
T17.
Francis Catalano, -1 (71-72)
T28.
Davis McDowell, +2 (75-71)
T53.
Elliot Bunyaviroch, +6 (77-73)
T73.
Ryan Vaughan, +10 (79-75)
T78.
Davis Lee, +11, (76-79)
TRITON TIDBITS
- Three Tritons improved turned in better scorecards on day two: McDowell, Bunyaviroch, and Vaughan were all four strokes better in the second round than in the first.
- UC San Diego's +3 on Thursday was the fifth-lowest team score in the 14-team field.
- The Tritons birdied 14 holes as a team on Thursday.
- UC San Diego is in year two of a four-year reclassification to NCAA Division I.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego concludes play in the El Macero Classic with the 18-hole third round on Friday morning. Tee times begin at 8:30 a.m. PDT. The tournament is the final action for the Tritons this season. Live scoring can be found by visiting
https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=24247.
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 has begun a new era 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 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
