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LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego men’s golf team plays in its second tournament of the spring season this week – the Watney Invitational.
Fresno State is hosting the 14-team, 54-hole event on Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 3 at San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno. Monday will feature rounds one and two with an 8 a.m. start and the third round will be played Tuesday with an 8:15 a.m. start.
All three rounds can be followed with live scoring. Opening round tee times
UC San Diego will have six players in the field. Francis Catalano, Justin Gill, Davis McDowell, Nathan Tseng, and Hanjie Yu comprise the Tritons’ five-player team, while Leo Cheng will be competing as an individual.
This will be UC San Diego’s fourth time playing in the Watney Invitational, also making appearances in 2025, 2022, and 2021.
Ranked No. 89 in the national poll, UC San Diego is the second-highest ranked team in the field after No. 59 Pacific.
THE COURSE
• San Joaquin Country Club
• 3484 W. Bluff Avenue Fresno, CA 93711
• Par: 71
• Yardage: 7,051
• Scorecard
• Course Tour
THE TEAMS
(national ranking as of 3/2/26)
• Cal State Fullerton (219)
• California Baptist (165)
• CSUN (234)
• Fresno State (143)
• Idaho (119)
• Nevada (146)
• Pacific (59)
• Sacramento State (144)
• Seattle (145)
• Southern Utah (245)
• UC Riverside (242)
• UC San Diego (89)
• Utah State (222)
• Utah Valley (179)
THE TRITON LINEUP
1. Nathan Tseng, Sr.
2. Davis McDowell, Sr.
3. Hanjie Yu, Fr.
4. Justin Gill, Jr.
5. Francis Catalano, RS-Sr.
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Individual: Leo Cheng, Sr.
UC SAN DIEGO AT THE WATNEY INVITATIONAL
2025: 5th of 13 teams, Nathan Tseng 4th
2022, 12th of 16 teams, Davis McDowell 20th
2021, 12th of 14 teams, Francis Catalano 36th
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
• 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
• Lake Las Vegas Invite: Hanjie Yu, 9th of 69 players, -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.
GET IN GEAR HERE
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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.