A Look Back At the 2009 Golf Season

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The UC Irvine women's golf team advanced to the NCAA Championship for the third time in five years.

UCD Men, LBSU Women Capture Big West Golf Championship: The 2009 Big West Golf Championship showcased two new faces atop the leaderboard with UC Davis men and Long Beach State women each claiming the program’s first Big West Championship. The 54-hole tournament took place at the San Luis Obispo County Club April 20-21.

The UC Davis men fired a 54-hole, three-under-par 861 to dethrone two-time defending champion UC Irvine by seven strokes. The Aggies, who carried a two-stroke lead into the final round of competition, padded their lead with a tournament-low 284 in the final round of competition. UC Irvine and Pacific tied for second after blasting a three-round 868 total. Led by teammates Andrew Patipaksiril and Scott Clayton, who tied for third after carding 214, UC Riverside tallied an 882 total to place fourth.

The women’s side was tightly contested as LBSU, the women’s leader heading into the final round, registered a three-round 929 to capture the top prize by one stroke. With the help of a tournament-low 303 in the final round of play, UC Irvine nearly overcame a six-stroke deficit in an attempt to grab their fifth straight title. Ultimately, the Anteaters fell one stroke short and instead settled for a two-way tie for second with UC Davis after shooting a three-round total of 930.

Men's NCAA West Regional: UC Davis received the conference’s automatic berth into the 2009 NCAA Men's Golf Championship after winning its first Big West Conference title while UC Irvine picked up an at-large bid. Joining the Big West duo was Cal Poly’s Geoff Gonzalez and Cal State Northridge's Nick Delio. The Anteaters finished in 11th place after totaling a three-round total of 870 and the Aggies carded a score of 290 to place 13th. Delio concluded the three-day event with a two-over-par 218 (T43rd) and Gonzalez finished with a five-over-par 221 to tie for 57th.

Women's NCAA West Regional: Big West Champion Long Beach State and UC Irvine, along with Chelsea Stelzmiller and Alice Kim from UC Davis, were selected to participate in the 2009 NCAA Women's Golf West Regional. The Anteaters advanced to the NCAA Championships after tying for fourth place with a three-round 873. The 49ers finish the 54-hole regional in 17th place with a three-day total of 44-over 908. Kim carded a three-round total of 218 to finish in eighth-place and earn a spot in the national finals and Stelzmiller tied for 23rd in the 108-player field after tallying a three-over-par 219.

Women's NCAA Championship: UC Davis' Alice Kim shot seven-over 295 at the NCAA Division I Championships, tying for eighth on the individual leaderboard and helping the Aggies showcase their program at college women’s golf showcase tournament for the second consecutive year. The UC Irvine women’s golf team finished in 22nd place at the NCAA Championships after carding a four-day total of 1249. Jane Chin ended her UCI career in16th place (298), the highest finish ever for an Anteater player at the NCAA Championships.

UC Irvine's Jane Chin Earns First Team All-American Honors: UC Irvine senior Jane Chin was named Duramed National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) First Team All-American at the annual Awards Banquet. Chin becomes the second Anteater to gain NGCA All-American honors and the first to earn first team distinction.

UCI's John Chin Named To PING All-Region Team: UC Irvine junior John Chin has been named to the Division I PING All-West Region team for the second straight year by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Chin was also selected as Big West Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading UCI with a 71.39 average and six top-10 finishes.

2009 Big West Annual Awards: The 2009 Big West award recipients were announced following the conclusion of the Big West Golf Championship. On the men’s side UC Irvine's John Chin collected his second consecutive Big West Golfer of the Year honor. Long Beach State’s Kevin Lim and UC Irvine's Roberto Francioni earned co-freshmen of the year honors, while Cy Williams received coach of the year accolades. Jane Chin of UC Irvine was chosen Big West Women’s Golfer of the Year and Long Beach State's Lee Lopez and Sue Ewart were selected women’s freshman and coach of the year.