UC Irvine Women Begins Spring Season With Top 25 Ranking: Led by
Golf World's Surprise Player, Jane Chin, who earned the fall honor after registering three straight victories with an average margin of victory of more than eight strokes, UC Irvine begins the 2009 Spring Season ranked No. 23 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Ratings. Individually, Chin ranks second in the ratings. Big West foe Long Beach State enters the new season ranked 44th. The men’s side was also represented with UC Davis securing 32nd.
Long Beach State and UC Irvine Men First To Open 2009 Season: Long Beach State and UC Irvine tee-off at the Arizona Invitational February 2, to open the spring season for the Big West Conference. The Arizona National Golf Club (par 71, 6,900 yards) is scheduled to host the two-day event. Thirty-six holes will be played on Monday, Feb. 2 with continuous play scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m. PST. The final 18 holes will start at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3. Making up the 17-team field is Brigham Young, California, UC Irvine, Coastal Carolina, East Tennessee State, Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee State, Nevada, New Mexico, Pepperdine, Rice, San Diego State, Tennessee, Tulsa, UNLV and host Arizona (two squads).
UC Davis kicks off the 2009 spring season with a trip to Hawaii for the Hawaii-Hilo Intercollegiate February 4-6. The tournament will be contested on the 6,913 yard, par 72 Mauna Lani Resort North Course. Joining the Vulcans in this year’s tournament are defending champion Stanford, Arizona State, Florida State, Fresno State, Georgia Tech, TCU, Texas Tech, UC Davis, Colorado, Hawaii-Manoa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, San Francisco, USC and Washington.
Also taking a tropical getaway for the John A. Burns Intercollegiate Feb. 18-20 are the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. The Leilehua Golf Course (par 72, 6,919 yards) in Schofield Barracks, O’ahu, will host the three-day event. The 16-team field consists of Arkansas, Arizona, Auburn, Brigham Young, Colorado State, Denver, Hawai‘i, New Mexico, Nevada, San Diego, San Jose State, Southern Methodist, Texas A&M, UNLV and UTEP.
Two teams head east in the first month of the spring season as Cal State Northridge visits St. George, Utah, for the Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational (Feb. 9-10) and Pacific and makes a trip to the Lone Star State for the Rice Intercollegiate (Feb. 16-17). The USC Intercollegiate (Feb. 23-24) at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif., ends the first month of competition for UC Irvine and Pacific.
UC Riverside Hosts Lady Braveheart Classic To Start Spring Season; Big West Women Have Loaded February Schedules: UC Riverside, Cal Poly and Cal State Northridge have the honor of opening the 2009 spring season as they participate in the Lady Braveheart Classic Feb. 9-10. The two-day tournament hosted by the Highlanders will be held at the Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont, Calif.
The following week, a Big West tandem of Long Beach State and UC Irvine tee-up at the Aztec Spring Classic in Chula Vista, Calif. The par-72 Salt Creek Golf Club is set to host the three-day event that takes place Sunday, Feb. 15 through Tuesday, Feb. 17. Along with host San Diego State and the Big West duo, Arkansas-Little Rock, Colorado, Colorado State, East Tennessee State, Hawai’i, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico State, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Santa Clark, Texas Tech, USF, UTEP and Wyoming make up the 18-team field.
The Lexus Golf Classic, and the Morehead State Eagle Invite also make their way on the Big West schedules. Long Beach State, UC Irvine and UC Davis, who is using the Lexus Golf Classic as its season-opener, head to the Copper River Country Club in Fresno, Calif., for the two-day tournament taking place Feb. 23-24. Cal State Northridge and UC Riverside are set to visit River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard, Calif., the same week.