LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's golf team stays local this week to play in the R.E. Lamkin Invitational.
San Diego State and the University of San Diego are co-hosting the 16-team tournament at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista.
The first and second rounds take place Monday, March 9, with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start. Tuesday's third and final round will feature tee times starting at 8 a.m.
UC San Diego will have five players in action including
Davis McDowell,
Francis Catalano,
Hanjie Yu,
Justin Gill, and
Nathan Tseng.
There are six Big West teams in the field. Joining UC San Diego are Cal Poly, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara.
San Diego State won the 2025 event and the University of San Diego was victorious in 2024.
The topped-ranked team in the field is host San Diego State at No. 28. Among Big West schools, Long Beach State is No. 38. UC San Diego is the second-highest ranked conference team in the tourney at No. 96. Cal Poly is No. 154, UCSB is No. 174, UC Davis is No. 176, and UC Irvine comes in at No. 237.
This will be the third time that UC San Diego has played this tourney since moving to NCAA Division I status for the 2000-2001 season. The Tritons were in the field in 2025 and 2022.
The tournament can be followed with
live scoring.
THE COURSE
•
San Diego Country Club
• 88 L St., Chula Vista, CA 91911 (
map)
THE TEAMS (16)
(national ranking as of 3/8/26)
• San Diego State (28)
• BYU (30)
• Long Beach State (38)
• Colorado (47)
• San Diego (51)
• Saint. Mary's (60)
• Pacific (67)
• UC San Diego (96)
• San Francisco (138)
• Fresno State (143)
• Cal Poly (154)
• Wyoming (167)
• UC Santa Barbara (174)
• UC Davis (176)
• UT Arlington (223)
• UC Irvine (237)
THE TRITON LINEUP
1.
Davis McDowell, Sr.
2.
Francis Catalano, Sr.
3.
Hanjie Yu, Fr.
4.
Justin Gill, Jr.
5.
Nathan Tseng, Sr.
UC SAN DIEGO AT THE R.E. LAMKIN INVITATIONAL
2025: 15th of 16 (+14);
Akira Isayama 28th of 96 (-2)
2022: 16th of 16 teams (+17); Elliot Bunyaviroch 25th of 94 (-2)
2025-26 UC SAN DIEGO ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Returning (6)
•
Francis Catalano (RS-Sr., 73.3 stroke average in 2024-25)
•
Leo Cheng (Sr., 77.8)
•
Justin Gill (Jr., 74.2)
•
Calvin Kong (Sr., 76.1)
•
Davis McDowell (Sr., 73.6)
•
Nathan Tseng (Sr., 72.7)
Newcomers (3)
•
Ethan Lien (Fr.)
•
Austin Woods (Fr.)
•
Hanjie Yu (Fr.)
Lost (5)
• Adriel Aboag
•
Kyle Dougherty
•
Eli Geddy
•
Akira Isayama
•
Junfan Wang
2025-26 UC SAN DIEGO FINISHES
•
Nick Watney Invitational: 3rd of 14, +10
•
Lake Las Vegas Invite: 5th of 11, -16
•
Pearl at Kalauao Invite: 2nd of 18, -10
•
Pacific Invite: 4th of 17, -19
•
Falcon Invite: 3rd of 23, -12
•
Ram Masters: 5th of 16, +15
2025-26 TOP TRITON FINISHERS
•
Nick Watney Invitational:
Davis McDowell, 2nd of 76, -4
•
Lake Las Vegas Invite:
Hanjie Yu, 9th of 69, -6
•
Pearl at Kalauao Invite:
Nathan Tseng, 1st of 108, -10
•
Pacific Invite:
Justin Gill, 5th of 96, -7
•
Falcon Invite:
Davis McDowell, 5th of 115, -7
•
Ram Masters:
Davis McDowell, 1st of 91, -6
TSENG NAMED BIG WEST GOLFER OF THE MONTH
Nathan Tseng was tabbed the Big West Golfer of the Month for October/November of 2025. Tseng earned his first collegiate win at the Pearl at Kalauao Invitational, hosted by the University of Hawai'i on Oahu. He also placed 13th at the Pacific Invitational, hosted by the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. In Hawai'i, Tseng shot three rounds in the 60s (69-69-68) to finish with a 10-under par 206 and top the 108-player field. His performance led the Tritons to a second-place finish at the 18-team event. He carded 18 birdies, the most of any player, with six in each round. His 3.87 stroke average on par-4 holes was the second-best in the field. In Stockton, Tseng was 13th of 96 players. He shot 5-under par to help UC San Diego place fourth of 17 teams. He is the second-ever Triton to win the award after
Davis McDowell earned it in September of 2025.
TSENG WINS PEARL AT KALAUAO INVITE
Nathan Tseng won his first collegiate tournament in November of 2025, topping the field at the Pearl at Kalauao in Hawai'i. Tseng's play was super consistent over the 54 holes as he shot in the 60's in each round. He went 69-69-68, finishing with a 206, 10-under par. He clipped Army's Tyson Sparks by a single stroke.
MCDOWELL IS FIRST TRITON TO WIN BIG WEST GOLFER OF THE MONTH
UC San Diego's
Davis McDowell was tabbed the Big West Golfer of the Month for September of 2025, becoming the first Triton to win the award. The senior won a tournament and finished fifth in another during the month. At the Ram Masters Invitational, hosted by Colorado State at Fort Collins Country Club, McDowell was the individual champion, shooting 6-under par to top the 91-player field. He led wire-to-wire and fired rounds of 65 (-5), 69 (-1), and 70 (even) for a total of 204. Incredibly, it was McDowell's first collegiate tournament in almost a year as he was returning from a wrist injury. McDowell followed up his victory by placing fifth of 115 competitors at the Falcon Invitational, hosted by Air Force. At Eisenhower Golf Club, he shot 7-under par by recording rounds of 72 (even), 65 (-7), and 72 (E) for a total of 209. McDowell's outings helped UC San Diego place third of 23 teams at the Falcon Invitational and fifth of 16 teams at the Ram Masters Invitational. The victory was the second of McDowell's career. A three-time All-Big West selection, McDowell earned his first collegiate victory in 2023 at the Orange County Collegiate at Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club.
MCDOWELL WINS SEASON OPENER
After not playing a collegiate event for almost a year,
Davis McDowell returned in a big way, winning the Ram Masters Invitational in Fort Collins, Colorado, on September 12. McDowell led the 91-player field wire-to-wire. Over 54 holes, he finished 6-under par, going 5-under and 1-under in Thursday's first two rounds and closing with an even par effort Friday. He finished one stroke ahead of Colorado State's Alessandro Trenta and two in front of Long Beach State's Alejandro de Castro. McDowell had last played a college event in October of 2024 at the White Sands Collegiate in the Bahamas. The win in Colorado was McDowell's second career victory as he won the Orange County Collegiate in February of 2023 as a sophomore.
TRITONS GET FIRST NCAA DIVISION I WIN
UC San Diego earned its first NCAA Division I victory last season at the El Macero Classic, hosted by UC Davis. The Tritons finished one-over par, topping second place Saint Mary's by a single stroke and third place Pacific by two strokes. There were 17 teams in contention. Individually, three Tritons placed in the top six.
Nathan Tseng (-3) was third,
Kyle Dougherty (-2) was fifth, and
Francis Catalano (even par) finished sixth. Read the press release
here.
UC SAN DIEGO ACCEPTS OFFER TO JOIN WEST COAST CONFERENCE
On Sept. 3, 2025, UC San Diego accepted a formal invitation to join the
West Coast Conference (WCC) and will begin competing in the conference starting with the 2027-28 season. Men's golf is a sport sponsored by the conference. In 2027-28, the WCC membership will consist of: University of California San Diego, Loyola Marymount University, University of the Pacific, Pepperdine University, University of Portland, Saint Mary's College, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, and Seattle University. UC San Diego will become the first public institution in the West Coast Conference since the departure of the University of Nevada-Reno in 1979.
Read the complete press release here.
A RETURN TO LA QUINTA FOR THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2026 Big West Men's Golf Championship is set for May 3-5 at La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, Calif. In 2025, UC San Diego competed in its first-ever Big West Championship, which was also contested at La Quinta. The Tritons tied for seventh of 12 teams.
Kyle Dougherty was UC San Diego's top finisher, tying for 15th in the 72-player field.
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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 UC San Diego's mascot in 1964.
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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.
