LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's golf team begins its third season as an NCAA Division I squad on Monday, Sept. 19, at the Ram Masters Invitational in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Hosted by Colorado State University at Fort Collins Country Club, the tournament features 16 schools in attendance with 15 of those competing for the team title.

The host Rams are the top-ranked squad playing, coming in at No. 80 in the Golfstat national poll. The University of Colorado, which is sending two individuals and will not take part in the team competition, is ranked No. 95.

UC San Diego competed in this event last season as well. The Tritons placed 13th of 16 teams. Senior Elliot Bunyaviroch, who will be in the lineup again, was the team's top finisher, placing 19th in the 89-player field.

Joining Bunyaviroch in Fort Collins this year will be sophomore newcomer Kyle Dougherty, sophomore Davis McDowell, junior Davis Lee, and senior Ethan Chen.

This will be the 10th running of the Ram Masters. Colorado State has won the team championship for seven years running. Wichita State won the inaugural outing in 2012 while Denver won in 2013. Jack Castiglia of Northern Colorado is the reigning individual champion.

All action from Fort Collins can be followed with live scoring.

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THE SCHEDULE
• Monday, Sept. 19, 7 a.m. (PT) -  Rounds 1 & 2 (36 holes)
• Tuesday, Sept. 20, 7 a.m. (PT) - Round 3 (18 holes)

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THE FORMAT
• 54 holes (three rounds of 18)
• Five players counting four scores for team totals

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THE COURSE
• Fort Collins Country Club
• Fort Collins, Colo.
• Par: 70
• Yardage: 7,218
• Rating: 73.5
• Slope: 136

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THE SCHOOLS (16)
(Golfstat ranking as of 9/18/22)
• Air Force (271)
• Cal State Fullerton (161)
• Colorado (95) (not competing as a team)
• Colorado State (70)
• Creighton (138)
• Denver (106)
• Gonzaga (193)
• Northern Colorado (173)
• Pacific (171)
• Sacramento State (141)
• South Dakota State (159)
• Texas A&M Commerce
• UC San Diego (207)
• Utah Valley (128)
• Wichita State (149)
• Wyoming (111)

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THE FIELD
• Total Players: 83
• Team Players: 75
• Individuals: 8 (Air Force 1, Colorado 2, Colorado State 3, Denver 1, Wyoming 2)

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THE TRITON LINEUP
1. Kyle Dougherty (So.)
2. Davis McDowell (So.)
3. Elliot Bunyaviroch (Sr.)
4. Davis Lee (Jr.)
5. Ethan Chen (Sr.)

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THE PAIRINGS
• Rounds 1 and 2

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2021-22 UC SAN DIEGO FINISHES
• UCSB Collegiate Classic: 11th of 14 (307-293--600, +24)
• Redhawk Invitational: 21st of 23 (313--313, +29)
• UC San Diego Invitational: 2nd of 14 (279-280-296--855, -9)
• Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic: 16th of 16 (294-300-287--881, +17)
• The Joust: 7th of 15 (298-296-292--886, +34)
• Orange County Collegiate Classic: 7th of 10 (307-304-303--914, +50)
• Hoakalei Country Club Invitational: 12th of 15 (312-301-295--908, +44)
• Bill Cullum Invitational: Tie for 5th of 12 (295-305-298--898, +34)
• Nick Watney Invitational: 12th of 14 (306-294-299--899, +47)
• Ram Masters Invitational: 13th of 16 (324-323-299--946, +106)

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2021-22 TOP TRITON FINISHERS
• UCSB Collegiate Classic: Ryan Vaughan, tie for 9th of 84 (75-70--145, +1)
• Redhawk Invitational: Elliot Bunyaviroch, tie for 73rd of 120 (78, +7); Davis McDowell, tie for 73rd of 120 (78, +7); Ryan Vaughan, tie for 73rd of 120 (78, +7)
• UC San Diego Invitational: Davis McDowell, 2nd of 89 (69-67-72--208, -8)
• Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic: Elliot Bunyaviroch, tie for 25th of 95 (73-72-69--214, -2)
• The Joust: Jerry Wu, tie for 5th of 87 (78-69-69--216, +3)
• Orange County Collegiate Classic: Davis McDowell, tie for 11th of 63 (70-77-75--222, +6)
• Hoakalei Country Club Invitational: Elliot Bunyaviroch, tie for 51st of 79 (80-78-70--298, +12); Ryan Vaughan, tie for 51st of 79 (81-72-75--298, +12)
• Bill Cullum Invitational: Davis McDowell, 4th of 79 (68-75-74--217, +1)
• Nick Watney Invitational: Francis Catalano, tie for 36th of 84 (79-72-71--222, +9)
• Ram Masters Invitational: Elliot Bunyaviroch, tie for 19th of 89 (79-81-70--230, +20)

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2021-22 LOW ROUNDS
• Team: 279, UC San Diego Invitational (1st)
• Player: 67, Davis McDowell, UC San Diego Invitational (2nd)

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A CHANGE OF SCENERY THAT'S HARD TO BEAT
For the third-consecutive year, the Tritons will host the UC San Diego Invitational in March. The venue for the previous two events was La Costa in Carlsbad. This season, the tournament is moving to the legendary Torrey Pines Golf Course. Located across the street from campus and situated just above the Pacific Ocean, Torrey Pines hosted the 2021 and 2008 U.S. Open Championships and has been the home of the annual PGA Farmer's Insurance Open since the 1960's. The UC San Diego Invitational will be contested March 27 and 28 on Torrey's North Course.

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GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO GOLF
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through Twitter and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdmgolf.

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UC SAN DIEGO AND COVID-19
UC San Diego's nationally renowned Return to Learn program was created to return to in-person teaching, learning, conducting pioneering research and serving our communities in the safest way possible. The program has three adaptive pillars that are central to our strategy to resume on-campus activity: risk mitigation, viral detection, and intervention. For the latest information on UC San Diego and COVID-19, please visit the University's Return to Learn site.

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WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.

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UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter @Tritoncast.

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FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!

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GEAR HERE!
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, visit the official team store of the Tritons here.

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UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues its fall slate next week at the Nick Watney Invitational. Hosted by Fresno State, the event runs Monday, Sept. 26 and Tuesday, Sept. 27 at King's River Golf and Country Club in Kingsburg, Calif. The Tritons competed in this tournament last season as well.

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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 III and II 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.