FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The UC San Diego men's golf team placed fifth of 15 squads and senior Elliot Bunyaviroch followed suit with a fifth-place showing in the 84-player field as the Ram Masters Invitational concluded Tuesday at Fort Collins Country Club. 

It was the Tritons' best placing in a season opener since becoming an NCAA Division I team and best overall since 2018 when they were fourth at the Sonoma State Invitational.

For Bunyaviroch, it was a career-best finish.

HOW IT HAPPENED
A consistent UC San Diego finished 12-over par with a three-round total of 852. The Tritons shot rounds of 282 and 284 Monday before closing with a 286 Tuesday. They were tied for fifth place heading into today's final round.

UC San Diego held a 3.05 stroke average on par-3 holes throughout, which tied for first place.

Bunyaviroch finished with a 4-under par 206. He posted rounds of 66, 70, and 70. His first round 66 was a career-best. In that round, he aced the par-3, 190-yard second hole. The hole-in-one was accomplished with an 8-iron.

His 54 holes were comprised of one ace, 12 birdies, 33 pars, seven bogeys, and a triple bogey. In the first round, the San Francisco native had the hole-in-one plus four birdies on holes 1 through 9. In round two, he birdied 14, 15, 18, and 18.

Bunyaviroch compiled a 2.80 stroke average on par-3 holes, the third-best of any player in the field.

Playing in his first event for UC San Diego, Kyle Dougherty tied for 26th with a 3-over 213. His 4.33 stroke average on par-5 holes tied for the best.

Along with Bunyaviroch, Dougherty and Davis McDowell each had an eagle during the tournament. Dougherty's came on the par-5 first hole in the third round and McDowell's came on the par-4 11th hole in the third round.

TRITON RESULTS
T-5. Elliot Bunyaviroch, -4 (66-70-70--206)
T-26. Kyle Dougherty, +3 (73-71-69--213)
T-32. Davis McDowell, +5 (74-70-71--215)
T-51. Ethan Chen, +10 (71-73-76--220)
T-81. Davis Lee, +23 (72-80-81--233)

FROM HEAD COACH FRED HANOVER
"We are an improved team. The best thing is that they played fearlessly and aggressively, which is what needs to happen for us to be successful. They drove the ball really well, which set up lower scores. We are really looking forward to the rest of the season as we are starting to understand how to prepare, which will lead to success."

"Elliot is capable of winning any tournament he plays in."

THE WINNERS
Host Colorado State, ranked 70th in the country, won the tournament for the eighth-straight year. They tied a tourney record with a 17-under par 823, topping second-place Cal State Fullerton by 11 strokes. 

Brady McKinlay from Utah Valley was the individual medalist after finishing with a 9-under par 201.

TRITON TIDBITS
• Bunyaviroch was the top Triton finisher (tie for 19th) at the 2021 Ram Masters Invitational.
• The par-70 course played to a 72.67 stroke average, which included a tournament-high 73.04 in the first round.
• The previous low round for Bunyaviroch was a 69 in the third round of the San Diego Classic on March 8, 2022.
• This was the second time the Tritons had played in the Ram Masters Invitational. They finished 13th of 16 teams in 2021.

UP NEXT
The Tritons remain in action next week as they travel to the Nick Watney Invitational. Hosted by Fresno State, the event runs Sept. 26-27 at King's River Golf and Country Club in Kingsburg, Calif.

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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.