NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The UC San Diego men's golf team placed fourth of 12 teams and Francis Catalano tied for fifth of 72 players as the Macdonald Cup wrapped up Sunday.

Yale hosted the two-day, 12-team tournament Saturday and Sunday at the Yale Golf Course in Connecticut.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego finished with a 35-over par 875 on the par-70, 6,795-yard course, shooting rounds of 291, 287, and 297.

Catalano, who missed the entire 2022-23 season due to injury, tied with three other players for fifth with a 5-over 215. He carded rounds of 69, 73, and 73. His first round 69 was the lowest single round score by any Triton at the tourney.

It was the second-best finish of the sophomore's career. At the end of the 2021-22 season, he tied for third in an 84-player field at the El Macero Classic, hosted by UC Davis.

Senior Jerry Wu also placed in the top-20 today, tying for 17th with a 10-over 220. Wu carded rounds of 75, 70, and 75.

Davis McDowell shot a 71 in Sunday's third round, which propelled him up the leader board 16 spots into a tie for 24th.

Host Yale won the team title with an 856, 16-over. The Bulldogs were five strokes better than second-place Seton Hall and 14 strokes in front of third-place Georgetown.

Yale's Robert Yu was the individual medalist. He logged rounds of 72, 69, and 68 to finish with a 1-under par 209. He was the lone golfer to end up below par.

Harvard's Brian Ma was second, two strokes back of Yu with a 1-over 211. Georgetown's Conner Willett and Bucknell's Alex Creamean tied for third at 4-over.

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TRITON RESULTS
5 (tie) Francis Catalano, +5 (69-73-73--215)
17 (tie) Jerry Wu, +10 (75-70-75--220)
21 (tie) Nathan Tseng, +12 (73-71-78--222)
24 (tie) Davis McDowell, +13 (79-73-71--223)
42 (tie) Davis Lee, +18 (74-76-78--228)
67 Calvin Kong, +30 (82-78-80--240)*

* Playing as an individual and did not count in team scoring

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WHAT HEAD COACH FRED HANOVER HAD TO SAY
"It was great playing on the East Coast at Yale. We played against some very good teams that we would not normally face. We enjoyed the competition and the camaraderie. Francis did a great job being disciplined and patient as it was rainy and cold for all 54 holes. Our other players had good moments but ultimately the elements got the best of them. We learned a lot about how to play in adverse conditions and will be bettered prepared next time. We have a good team and I'm sure we'll see a lot of outstanding performances this season."

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TRITON TIDBITS
• The Tritons were in second place following Saturday's two rounds of play.
• This was UC San Diego's second tournament of the 2023-24 season.
• The Tritons finished 11th of 24 teams at the Falcon Invite, hosted by Air Force, two weeks ago. Davis McDowell was the top finisher, tying for 17th of 120.
• McDowell was UC San Diego's top finisher in seven of 11 tournaments last season.
• Nathan Tseng competed in the 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship.

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UP NEXT
Following a week off, UC San Diego continues its fall campaign at the Bill Cullum Invitational, hosted by CSUN Oct. 9-10 at the The Saticoy Club in Somis, 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 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 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.