Fab Five: Elliot Bunyaviroch

Photographs have the ability to capture important pieces of our past and help us recall people, places, feelings, and memories that made an impact on our lives. For many scholar-athletes, pictures secure those special moments and assist in making their collegiate careers last forever.

In a feature called “Fab Five”, Triton scholar-athletes are tasked to pick five of their favorite photos to be highlighted on UCSDtritons.com. 

Today, Elliot Bunyaviroch from the men's golf team is featured. As a junior this past season, he posted his best career tournament score at the prestigious Lamkin San Diego Classic at San Diego Country Club. He finished as the top Triton after firing rounds of 73, 72, and 69 for a 214, two under par. Elliot held a 75.0 stroke average for the season, the third-best on the team. In addition, he recorded a pair of top-20 finishes and four top-30 placings.   

A San Francisco native, Elliot is majoring in economics-management science out of UC San Diego's Sixth College. The 2022-23 season will be the final for the senior Triton.

1. The grind? Worth it!

The biggest thing I’ve learned over the last three years of school is that the grind is always worth it. Whether it was studying in Geisel for eight straight hours or waking up for workouts or even working on the same putting drill for two hours, it has always paid off. It’s so easy to just give up but because of the effort that I put in, I either achieved my goal or felt a sense of fulfillment because I knew I gave it my all. This photo showcases one of my putts at the Lamkin San Diego Classic, where I had my best putting performance that led to my personal best overall tournament score. Prior to this event, I struggled with my putting and spent at least two hours practicing putting every day for two weeks. Even though I didn’t putt perfectly, I felt very accomplished because I achieved my goal of improving my putting and knew I did everything I could in order to attain that goal.

2. Overcoming Obstacles

This photo (don’t mind me chewing my food) was taken in Seattle where we faced the absolute worst golf conditions I’ve ever experienced. We had winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour paired with rain and periodic hail. Our first and second rounds were canceled after six hours of battling with the teams agreeing that it was too much to compete in. Following the cancelations, our third round the next day had slightly calmer winds and fortunately no rain. I started off hot,  leading the tournament for the first ten holes, but fell apart on my last eight. After the round I was clearly disappointed as I am still searching for my first collegiate win, but I took a step back to acknowledge how I was able to get in the position to win even through the conditions and the cancelations. I came to realize that no matter the end result, it was easily the most memorable tournament I’ve ever played and now I know that I am totally capable of winning no matter the conditions!

3. Tridents Up!

One thing I love about this picture is that despite our close loss at this tournament, our team is always high spirited and smiling. It’s so easy to get caught up in a loss, especially when it was our home tournament where we lost by only one stroke (out of 855), but our team is always upbeat and I think it’s rooted in the fact that we are all very proud to be Tritons. We are so lucky to represent UC San Diego and will always be throwing up tridents wherever we go, no matter the mood!

4. Thankful

There isn’t much to say about this picture except that I am so lucky to call these guys my teammates. This past season, the first “normal” season since COVID-19, was hard for everyone to readjust to being a student-athlete. For me, it was my first season back from my gap year, but my teammates and coaches made the transition from quarantine to school as if the pandemic never happened. I think it’s safe to say that the pandemic made everyone cherish their friends and families and for me, my team. It’ll be sad to not see Ryan and Sergi next year, but I am looking forward to my last season with these guys and to welcome the new freshmen into our family!

5. It's Been a Blast!

Going into my last year of school, there are waves of emotions thinking about how my collegiate career is coming to an end and adulthood is on the horizon. From the hundreds of Jersey Mike’s sandwiches to the late nights in Geisel Library, there are so many memories I have cherished and kept close to me. The one that would be first on my highlight reel is from my freshman year. This photo showcased our travel team coming in second place at the NCAA Regionals in St. George, Utah. Our team was always the underdog and no one ever expected us to do well. However, we snuck into Regionals where we shot a historic 275 (13 under par) in the final round to finish second, the highest placing at Regionals in program history. This day really taught me about camaraderie as we were all rooting for each other as we were finishing our rounds. After it was all said and done, no one stopped smiling until we heard Jacob Johnson had to be back in San Diego for a midterm the following day. That meant we had to catch a 6 a.m. flight the next morning, but even then we were smiling until our 4 a.m. alarms went off. Unfortunately, due to our Division I transition period, I won’t be able to experience the feeling of going to Nationals again, but the last three years were filled with so many great memories that this one was enough for me. Go Tritons!