KOTARO MURATA, HAWAI‘I
FEBRUARY MEN'S GOLFER OF THE MONTH
Freshman • Matsuyama, Japan • Heritage Academy

• Hawai‘i freshman Kotaro Murata captured his first career Big West Men’s Golfer of the Month honor as two top 10 performances made him the selection for February.

• Murata more than held his own in a couple of tournaments with loaded fields. He tied for 10th place at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate in a field that included nine Top 30 ranked teams. Murata also tied for seventh in the John Burns Intercollegiate, which featured seven Top 50 ranked clubs.

• Murata beat out 15 nationally ranked individuals at the Amer Ari. He shot a 9-under 207 for the tournament with three rounds under par including consecutive rounds of 4-under 68 on the par-72, 7,074-yard Waikoloa Beach Resort’s Kings Course.

• He finished four strokes behind medalist William Mouw of Pepperdine and Mason Anderson of Arizona State.

• At the John Burns Intercollegiate, he carded a 4-under 212 total with an impressive second round of 4-under 68. He also shot a 70 in the final round on the 6,991-yard, par-72 Wailua Golf Course.

• Murata posted an under par score in 5 of 6 rounds, and he bested every Big West golfer in either tournament.

OTHERS NOMINATED: Derek Castillo (Cal State Fullerton); Mats Age (CSUN); Hunter Epson (Long Beach State); Thomas Hutchison (UC Davis); Jonathan Kang (UC Irvine)

HANNAH KO, LONG BEACH STATE
FEBRUARY WOMEN'S GOLFER OF THE MONTH
Sophomore • Fullerton, Calif. • Sunny Hills HS

• Long Beach State sophomore Hannah Ko notched her first career Big West Women’s Golfer of the Month award as the February standout finished tied for 11th and tied for seventh in two tournaments.

• Ko shot the best round of the month for Long Beach State at the Rebel Beach Intercollegiate in Las Vegas. She fired a final round 67 at Spanish Trail Country Club – site of the Big West Championship in April – and finished with a 54-hole total of 2-over 218. She had rounds of 75 and 76 to begin the competition.

• Ko’s performance at Spanish Trail helped the Beach to a fifth place finish.

• LBSU hosted The Gold Rush at Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach for the sixth consecutive year, and the team came in third place out of 13 teams, ahead of No. 27 Charlotte and BYU. Ko tied for seventh in the field of 74 competitors with a 4-over 220 that featured consistent golf throughout, as she scored 73, 73 and 74 throughout the 54 holes.

OTHERS NOMINATED: Caroline Cantlay (Cal Poly); Jackie Lucena (UC Davis); Madison Riggs (UC Irvine)