LA QUINTA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's golf team held fast Monday at the Big West Championship, remaining in seventh place after the second round at La Quinta Country Club in the Coachella Valley.
There are 12 teams and 72 players in contention. The winning team earns the conference's automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA Championship.
The Tritons shot 10 strokes better today than Sunday, finishing three under par on the par-72, 7100-yard layout.
Justin Gill is the Tritons' leader, tied for 13th position after firing a one-under 71 today to go with his even par 72 yesterday.
Nathan Tseng also shot one-under to move up 16 rungs on the leader board into a tie for 30th. It was the same story for
Akira Isayama, who also shot one-under to advance 16 spots into a tie for 38th.
Cal State Fullerton retained its first-place position. The Titans are 17-under par after going eight-under today.
Long Beach State's Krishnav Chopraa remained in the top position with a six-under par round, making him 15-under for the tournament. His nearest competitor is eight strokes back.
The Beach is ranked 22nd in the nation and two of its players are ranked in the top-62.
TRITON STANDINGS
tie-13
Justin Gill, -1 (72-71)
tie-15
Kyle Dougherty, Even (72-72)
tie-30
Nathan Tseng, +3 (76-71)
tie-38
Akira Isayama, +5 (78-71)
tie-46
Francis Catalano, +6 (75-75)
TRITON TIDBITS
• The Tritons are now able to compete in postseason action as they completed a mandatory four-year exclusion as part of the school's transition to NCAA Division I.
• UC San Diego is coming off its first Division I win at the El Macero Classic earlier in April.
• This is the fifth straight season that the Big West Championship has been held at La Quinta.
UP NEXT
The third and final round begins at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The Tritons tee off at 8:50 a.m. and will be paired with Sacramento State and the University of Hawai'i. The Hornets and Rainbow Warriors are currently tied for eighth at eight-over par.
No word if Shaq will be in attendance to cheer on Sacramento State.Â
Tuesday's action can be followed with
live scoring.
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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.