UC Irvine Opens Spring Season With Anteater Invitational: The UC Irvine men's golf program is kicking off the 2010 spring season hosting the Anteater Invitational Feb. 1-2 at the Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa, Calif. (par 71; 6,726 yards). Thirty-six holes will be contested Monday, followed by 18 holes on Tuesday morning. The 10-team field is comprised of Big West members Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara, along with Loyola Marymount, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's and Santa Clara. The Anteaters captured the team title in 2009 while Cal Poly's Geoff Gonzalez claimed medalist honors at four-under 212.
49ers Host February Home Events: Long Beach State men's golf is joining forces with UCLA to host the Battle at the Beach tournament Feb. 14-16 at the Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Coast, Calif. Eighteen holes will be played on each day with a college-am held one day prior to the three-day event on Saturday, February 13. The teams participating in this year's event, which includes a bevy of top 25 teams (according to Golfweek/Sagarin), are: No. 6 Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Colorado State, Long Beach State, Notre Dame, No. 16 Oregon State, No. 24 San Diego State, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 15 Texas, Texas-Arlington, UC Davis, No. 13 UCLA and No. 8 Washington.
While the men showcase the beautiful SoCal beaches Valentine's Day weekend, the women's team welcomes 11 schools to Seal Beach, Calif., for The Gold Rush. The two-day, two-round tournament is scheduled for Feb. 8-9 at the 6,157-yard, par-72 Old Ranch Country Club. Joining the 49ers are conference foes Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, UC Davis and UC Riverside, along with BYU, Cal Baptist, New Mexico State, Portland State, San Diego State and San Francisco.
Going Pro: Former UC Irvine All-American and former Big West Golfer of the Year Jane Chin finished in a tie for 32nd at the LPGA Qualifying Tournament and becomes the Anteaters' first LPGA member. Chin attended LPGA Rookie Training following the final round of competition and earned Priority List Category 16.
Former UC Irvine golfer Sean Shahi earned his Asian Tour card following the final round of qualifying Saturday at Palm Hills & Springfield Village in Hua Hin, Thailand. Shahi, who received All-Big West Conference accolades in 2007-09, finished 11th in the final stage of qualifying with a 72-hole total of 279. The top 40 players and ties earned their exempt cards for 2010.
Former Cal Poly golfer Travis Bertoni assured himself a spot in selected Nationwide Tour events for the 2010 season after tying for 19th place in the second stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. Bertoni competed at Cal Poly from 2003-06, winning 11 tournaments, which at the time was No. 4 on the all-time NCAA list of collegiate wins. Also competing in the Nationwide Tour this year is former UC Riverside golfer Brendan Steele, who advanced to the final stage of the PGA Tour qualifying last December. He was unable to land a spot on the elite tour, but did manage to place high enough to secure a spot on the Nationwide Tour.
In The Ranks: The UC Davis women's team is opening the 2010 spring season ranked 22 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Ratings following a productive fall season that included three top five finishes. The Aggies closed out the fall with their best finish of the year, capturing the Turtle Bay Collegiate Invitational (Nov. 2-4) crown. Alice Kim currently leads UC Davis with a 73.2 stroke average and has finished as high as second this season (Ron Moore Intercollegiate). She enters the spring season ranked 55th in the Golfweek/Sagarin Ratings.
UC Irvine is eyeing the Top 25 with a 37th ranking in the same poll. The women's team displayed its best performance in the final tournament of the fall season as the Anteaters placed second out of 18 at the Prices NMSU Invitational.
Big West Championships: This year's Big West Golf Championship will be broken up into two separate events with the men's and women's championship being played on different weekends and courses. The 2010 Big West Women's Golf Championship is slated for April 18-20 at the San Luis Obispo Country Club. Each day will feature one 18-hole round. The 2010 Big West Men's Golf Championship at the Mission Viejo Country Club is schedule for May 3-4 with two rounds played on Monday, followed by a single round contested on Tuesday.