LA JOLLA, Calif. - Set to play in its penultimate tournament of the season, the UC San Diego men's golf team travels to the El Macero Classic, hosted by UC Davis at El Macero Country Club, this week.

The three-day, 54-hole, 20-team event runs April 14-16 in Yolo County.

UC San Diego tees off at 9:55 a.m. in Friday's opening round.

Eight teams nationally-ranked in the top-100, including two in the top-50, will be present including San Francisco (45), San Diego (47), California (51), Long Beach State (58), UCLA (74), Fresno State (81), Santa Clara (87), and Loyola Marymount (97).

UC San Diego is currently ranked 165, a 15-spot improvement from the April 4 poll.

It will be the second appearance by UC San Diego at the El Macero Classic. In 2022, the Tritons placed 12th of 14 teams while freshman Francis Catalano tied for third in the 84-player field. 

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FOLLOW LIVE
All action from the El Macero Classic can be followed with live scoring.

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THE SCHEDULE
• Friday, April 14: Round 1
• Saturday, April 15: Round 2
• Sunday, April 16: Round 3

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

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THE COURSE
• El Macero Country Club
• 44571 Country Club Lane
• El Macero, CA 95618
• Par: 72
• Yardage: 7,127
• Rating: 75.0
• Slope: 130
• Hole-by-Hole Aerial Flyover
• Scorecard

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THE SCHOOLS (20)
(Golfstat ranking as of 4/12/23)
• Cal Poly (157)
• Cal State Fullerton (107)
• California (51)
• Denver (166)
• Fresno State (81)
• Grand Canyon (112)
• Idaho (171)
• Long Beach State (58)
• Loyola Marymount (97)
• North Texas (122)
• Pacific (154)
• Sacramento State (186)
• San Diego (47)
• San Francisco (45)
• Santa Clara (87)
• Seattle U (113)
• UC Davis (115)
• UC San Diego (165)
• UCLA (74)
• Washington State (106)

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THE FIELD
• Total Players: 100
• Team Players: 100
• Individuals: 0

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THE TRITON LINEUP
1. Davis McDowell (R-So., 70.7 stroke average)
2. Kyle Dougherty (So., 74.4)
3. Jerry Wu (Jr., 74.8)
4. Davis Lee (Jr., 75.8)
5. Calvin Kong (Fr., 75.1)

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TEE TIMES
• Round 1

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TRITONS SHINE AT UC SANTA BARBARA COLLEGIATE
Four Tritons finished among the top-10 as UC San Diego placed third at the UC Santa Barbara Collegiate earlier this week at Sandpiper Golf Club. UC San Diego finished with a 13-over par 589 to take third in the 12-team field. Davis McDowell placed second while Davis Lee and Jerry Wu tied for third and Calvin Kong tied for seventh in the 66-player event.

The tournament was reduced to two rounds instead of the usual three due to fog delays on the coast.

UC San Diego shot rounds of 300 (+12) and 289 (+1) to finish seven strokes behind tournament winner Utah Valley (292-290--582, +6) and three strokes back of second-place CSUN (285-301--586, +10).

McDowell posted rounds of 74 and 68, ending his outing as one of just two players to finish under-par with a two-under 142. His 68 was the low round for the Tritons over the 36 holes. Juniors Lee and Wu, who were competing as individuals and did not figure in the team's scoring, were one-over, both coming in with a 145. Wu had rounds of 76 and 69, while Lee shot 70-75. Kong, a freshman, had a two-over 146 after carding rounds of 72 and 74.

Rounding out the team scorers for UC San Diego, sophomore Kyle Dougherty (80-72--152, +8) finished in a tie for 23rd, senior Elliot Bunyaviroch (78-75--0153, +9) tied for 29th, and freshman Nathan Tseng (76-81--157, +13) tied for 44th.

Senior Ethan Chen (79-77--156, +12), playing as an individual, tied for 39th.

The finishes for Lee (tie for 3rd), Wu (tie for 3rd), and Kong (tie for 7th) were all career-bests.

CSUN's Nick Fowlkes was the tournament winner at seven-under par (66-71--137).

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MCDOWELL GETS FIRST COLLEGIATE VICTORY
Davis McDowell collected the first victory of his collegiate career as the UC San Diego men's golf team placed third at the Orange County Collegiate Classic on Feb. 14. McDowell is the first tournament champion from UC San Diego since the team moved to the NCAA Division I level for the 2020-21 academic year. McDowell, a redshirt sophomore, finished with an eight-under par 208 over 54 holes on the South Course at Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club. After carding rounds of 66 and 73 Monday, he came into the third and final round in second place. McDowell put together a round of 69 on the par-72, 6,950-yard layout to top the 59-player field and win by two strokes over his nearest competitor. McDowell had five birdies in the third round, four of those coming over a five-hole stretch near the end of his round. His consistent play earned him 11 pars with just two bogeys. McDowell has been the top finisher in the team's last three tournaments. His previous best result of the 2022-23 season was a tie for third at the Visit Stockton Invitational in October. As a redshirt freshman last season, he bagged a second-place finish at the UC San Diego Invitational.

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IT'S IN THE HOLE! - PART ONE
Senior Elliot Bunyaviroch nailed a hole-in-one during the season-opening Ram Masters Invitational Fort Collins Country Club in Colorado. With an 8-iron, he aced the par-3, 190-yard second hole during the third round. It was the first hole-in-one of his competitive career.

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IT'S IN THE HOLE! - PART TWO
Senior Jared Gross cupped a hole-in-one on the par-3, 188-yard 16th hole at The Oaks Club at Valencia during the second round of the Bill Cullum Invitational in October.

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2022-23 UC SAN DIEGO FINISHES
• UC Santa Barbara Collegiate: 3rd of 12 (300-289--589, +13)
• Redhawk Invitational: tie for 11th of 17 (294-298-303--885, +33)
• UC San Diego Invitational: 9th of 15 (284-282-286--852, -12)
• The Joust: 6th of 13 (290-291-305--886, +34)
• Orange County Collegiate Classic: 3rd of 10 (291-298-291--880, +16)
• Visit Stockton Invitational: tie for 11th of 16 (274-294-287--855, +3)
• Bill Cullum Invitational: 5th of 10 (293-286-293--872, +8)
• Nick Watney Invitational: tie for 12th of 16 (294-287-289--870, +16)
• Ram Masters Invitational: 5th of 15 (282-284-286--852, +12)

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2022-23 TOP TRITON FINISHERS
• UC Santa Barbara Collegiate: Davis McDowell, 2nd of 66 (74-68--142, -2)
• Redhawk Invitational: Kyle Dougherty, tie for 20th of 95 (73-71-74--218, +5)
• UC San Diego Invitational: Davis McDowell, tie for 11th of 83 (68-70-72--210, -6)
• The Joust: Jerry Wu, tie for 11th of 84 (70-72-75--217, +4)
• Orange County Collegiate Classic : Davis McDowell, 1st of 59 (66-73-60--208, -8)
• Visit Stockton Invitational: Davis McDowell, tie for 3rd of 93 (65-71-68--204, -9)
• Bill Cullum Invitational: Davis McDowell, tie for 8th of 67 (74-69-71--214, -2)
• Nick Watney Invitational: Davis McDowell, tie for 20th of 93 (72-71-69--212, -1)
• Ram Masters Invitational: Elliot Bunyaviroch, tie for 5th of 84 (66-70-70--206, -4)

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2022-23 LOW ROUNDS
• Team: 274, Visit Stockton Invitational (1st)
• Player: 65, Davis McDowell, Visit Stockton Invitational (1st)

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UP NEXT
Following the El Macero Classic, UC San Diego closes out its season at the 58th PING Cougar Classic, hosted by BYU April 21-22 at Riverside Country Club.

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HEAD COACH FRED HANOVER
Fred Hanover was named Interim Head Coach of the UC San Diego Men's Golf program in January of 2019 and had the interim tag removed in July of the same year. The 2021-22 season saw UC San Diego compete in a full slate of 11 tournaments. Two of those were held locally - San Diego State's San Diego Classic (San Diego Country Club) and the Tritons' own UC San Diego Invitational (La Costa). The Tritons rose to the occasion at their own event, placing second by a single stroke. In addition, redshirt freshman Davis McDowell took second, also by a single stroke. UC San Diego led the 14-team field after 36 holes. The Tritons posted four more top-10 finishes, tying for fifth at the Bill Cullum Invitational, seventh at the Orange County Collegiate Classic, seventh at The Joust, and eighth at the UC Santa Barbara Intercollegiate. To wrap up the successful campaign, McDowell earned All-Big Conference West Honorable Mention recognition. For Hanover's complete bio, click here.

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ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire UC San Diego athletics program has begun a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
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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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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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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.