Visit Stockton Invitational
Dates: Oct. 16-18 (Monday-Wednesday)
Location: The Reserve at Spanos Park - Stockton, Calif.
Par/Yardage: Par-72, 7,278 yards

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's golf team will be in action, Oct. 16-18, at the Visit Stockton Invitational. The three-day tournament will be held at The Reserve at Spanos Park with the par-72 course being played at 7,278 yards. Eighteen holes are scheduled for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with a 7:30 a.m. start.

The Anteaters are part of a 17-team field that also features Cal State Fullerton, California Baptist, CSUN, Fresno State, Grand Canyon, Loyola Marymount, Nevada, Sacramento State, Seattle U, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, Utah, Utah Tech, Utah Valley, Washington State, and host Pacific.

UCI's 5-count-4 lineup includes Darien Zhao, Jin Nakao, Rei Harashima, Jason Tang and Yaoting Zou.

The 'Eaters have competed in the Visit Stockton Invitational in seven of the last eight years the tournament has been held. During that stretch, they had their best finish in 2022 when they tied for second at 16-under 836. Jin Nakao (T8th), Rei Harashima (T11th) and Darien Zhao (T18th) all placed among the top-20.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine was last in action at the Bill Cullum Invitational, Oct. 9-10. Darien Zhao led the Anteaters in a tie for 44th. He closed out the two-day tournament with a 54-hole score of 229 (78-74-77). Yaoting Zou and Jason Tang tied for 50th at 230, while Rei Harashima and Joshua Lane tied for 72nd.

BREAKING RECORDS
Darien Zhao, UCI's only senior, kicked off the 2023-24 season with a bang as he claimed runner-up honors with a career-best 13-under 200 at the Nick Watney Invitational. Zhao opened the tournament with back-to-back sub-70 rounds, carding a 66 (-5) prior to firing a school-record 62 (-9). He finished the first two rounds with 14 birdies and one eagle against only two bogeys for a program-best 36-hole score of 128 (-14). Zhao, a two-time All-Big West selection, has eight career top-10 finishes.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Freshman Jason Tang made a statement in his collegiate debut, tying for sixth at the season-opening Nick Watney Invitational. Tang concluded his first tournament as an Anteater at 10-under 203 (74-65-64). He found his stride with a bogey-free second round to jump 40 spots in the standings, and carried the momentum into the final round where he continued his ascent up the leaderboard with a 64 (-7). 

SEASON DEBUT LOADING
Redshirt sophomore Jin Nakao, who has battled through an injury over the last two years, is slated to make his season debut at the Visit Stockton Invitational. In 2022-23, Nakao notched three top-20 finishes and registered a 72.91 scoring average. 

SECOND TIME AROUND
Sophomores Rei Harashima and Yaoting Zou also gained invaluable experience last year, playing in every tournament. Harashima earned All-Big West honorable mention recognition after posting five top-20 finishes and a 72.42 average in his first collegiate season. Zou had a 73.56 average through 32 rounds.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will close out its fall season at the Kapolei Classic in Honolulu, Oct. 31-Nov. 2.