Men's Golf:
UC Irvine to Compete in Topy Cup

Anteaters one of four U.S. teams in tournament that includes eight Japanese schools

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John Chin was 2008 Big West Player of the Year
 
John Chin was 2008 Big West Player of the Year
  
 

July 14, 2008

IRVINE, Calif. --- Coach Paul Smolinski's UC Irvine men's golf team will compete in the 26th annual Topy Cup at Tanagura Country Club in Tanagura, Japan, Sept. 9-11.

The Anteaters will be joined by American counterparts Charlotte, Lamar and New Mexico in the field that includes eight Japanese teams.

Tohoku Fukushi University has won the last three tournament titles and Japanese schools have captured 13 of the last 17 championships. New Mexico was the last U.S. school to win, placing first in the 2004 tournament.

UC Irvine is coming off its most successful season in the 30 years of Division I competition at the university.

The Anteaters won the Big West Conference Championship at Tijeras Creek Golf Club for the second straight year and advanced to NCAA regional play for the seventh time in the past eight years.

Junior-to-be John Chin was medalist (207) at the Big West Championships and was named Big West Player of the Year along with first-team honors. Sean Shahi, a senior this fall, placed second (210) in the conference tournament and was selected to the All-Big West first team. Tim Cha, who was third at the Big West Championship, is expected to redshirt this coming season.

Smolinski was named Big West Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his 10 seasons with the Anteaters.

UCI finished third in the NCAA East Regional at Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn., to earn a berth in the NCAA Championship at The Kampen Course at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Anteaters finished 20th at the NCAA tournament, missing the 54-hole cut. Chin, Shahi and Cha each shot 229 over three rounds at the NCAA Championship.

UCI recorded nine top-five finishes in its 14 tournaments last season. Chin, who had seven top-10 finishes, led the team with a 71.57 average. Chin was named to the PING All-Pacific Region team.

 

 

Shahi had six top-10s and averaged 71.98. He was medalist at the Turtle Bay Resort Collegiate Invitational in Hawaii.
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