UCLA
Thunderbird Collegiate
No. 10 Men's Golf Looks Ahead to Thunderbird Collegiate
April 10, 2025 | Men's Golf
PHOENIX – The No. 10-ranked UCLA men's golf team returns to action this week at the Thunderbird Collegiate, hosted by Arizona State at Papago Golf Club in Phoenix.
The 54-hole competition will take place this Friday and Saturday (April 11-12). The first two rounds are scheduled for Friday, April 11, while the third and final round will take place on Saturday, April 12. This will mark the Bruins' final regular-season tournament before traveling East to compete later this month at the Big Ten Championship in Baltimore, Md.
UCLA is scheduled to tee off on Friday morning in Phoenix, opening the first round at 7:12 a.m. (PT).
The Bruins will be back in action just three days after finishing in third place, out of nine teams, at the Calusa Cup in Naples, Fla. Kyle An finished that tournament as the Bruins' top individual performer, finishing in a tie for seventh place (214, -2). The Calusa Cup took place from April 6-8 in Naples, Fla.
"We were happy with the way our guys performed," head coach Armen Kirakossian said. "Being in a different time zone and a different environment is never easy, but we do that for a reason. We want our guys to experience that. It helps their development as golfers. Competing at a place such as Calusa Pines, it's extremely tricky. It has a Pinehurst-esque feel to it with big slopes and run-offs and some firm greens. It's great for our skill development and it was a stacked field. We were happy with a third-place finish. You can't play defense in golf. Two other teams happened to perform exceptionally well, so hats off to them. I was really proud of how our guys battled back in the final round and got our team score back to under par. That was a very good week with many positives, and it built some nice momentum heading into the upcoming Thunderbird Collegiate.
"This is always one of our favorite trips of the year. It's especially fun for me, going back to a tournament that I helped run and build for five years. So now, to take UCLA's team and be on the other side of it as a competitor, it's fun and enjoyable. There are some similarities with the firmness of the greens at Papago and the dry air and the heat, some of the stuff we saw at Calusa Pines. We are hoping to have a great week, and our guys are ready to make a run at this thing."
About the Field
This year's Thunderbird Collegiate includes 10 teams – No. 5 Arizona State (host), No. 10 UCLA, No. 14 Utah, No. 33 Colorado, No. 41 Houston, No. 47 USC, No. 49 New Mexico, No. 54 Grand Canyon, No. 65 Loyola Marymount and No. 98 Oregon State. Rankings are from Scoreboard powered by Clippd (full rankings here).
Weather Report: Sunny, temperatures expected in the high 90s.
Par and Yardage: Par 72, 7,419 yards.
UCLA's Lineup: Luke Powell, Pablo Ereño, Baylor Larrabee, Kyle An and Omar Morales.
UCLA's Individual Competitor: Trevor Garus
Live Scoring: Tournament scoring will be provided by Scoreboard powered by Clippd (link here).
History at the Thunderbird Collegiate
The Bruins have won ASU's Thunderbird Collegiate three times in the tournament's 50-year history, which dates to 1973. UCLA won team titles in 1998 (+13), 1987 and 1979. Two Bruins have medaled at the event – Brandon DiTullio in 1998 and Corey Pavin in 1979.
In 2008, UCLA carded an 18-hole score program record with a 20-under 268 in the second round.
Last season, the Bruins tied for second place out of 17 teams at the Thunderbird Collegiate. As a team, UCLA shot 10-under 842 with round scores of 283 (-1), 279 (-5) and 280 (-4) through the tournament. As a junior last season, Pablo Ereño finished the tournament as the Bruins' top individual competitor. He tied for third place, carding 9-under 204 through three rounds (70-67-67) at the par 72 course.
This marks UCLA's second time competing at the Thunderbird Collegiate under Bruins' third-year head coach Armen Kirakossian. Last season, Kirakossian returned to the event since accepting the job in Westwood. Kirakossian spent five seasons on staff at Arizona State, two as associate head coach and three as an assistant coach.
Last Time Out
UCLA finished in third place out of nine teams earlier this week at the Calusa Cup, hosted at Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Fla. Florida won the tournament title, finishing at 17-under 847, one stroke ahead of second-place Louisville (16-under 868). UCLA posted a team score of 1-under 863, followed by fourth-place Purdue (4-over 868) and fifth-place Wake Forest (16-over 880).
LSU, Virginia, Miami University (Ohio) and Iowa rounded out the final four competitors, respectively.
UCLA junior Kyle An tied with two other golfers for seventh place (2-under 214), the best individual finish of the five Bruins competing at Calusa Pines Golf Club. An, along with seniors Pablo Ereño and Omar Morales, shot 3-under 69 on the final day of the tournament.
Tournament Schedule: The two-day tournament begins on Friday, April 11. Teams will start at holes 1 and 10 on Friday, as early as 7 a.m. (PT). The first 36 holes will take place on Friday, while the third round (final 18 holes) is scheduled for Saturday, April 12. UCLA will begin at hole 1 on Friday morning at approximately 7:12 a.m. (PT).
UCLA's 2024-25 Roster
| Name | Year | Height | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle An | Jr. | 5-9 | Aliso Viejo, Calif. |
| Luciano Conlan | So. | 6-0 | Kaneohe, Hawai'i |
| Pablo Ereño | Sr. | 5-10 | Madrid, Spain |
| Trevor Garus | Fr. | 6-0 | Boise, Idaho |
| Baylor Larrabee | Fr. | 6-5 | Ferndale, Wash. |
| Omar Morales | Sr. | 6-2 | Puebla, Mexico |
| Alex Papayoanou | So. | 5-10 | The Woodlands, Texas |
| Luke Powell | So. | 5-11 | Laguna Niguel, Calif. |
| Matthew Yamin | R-So. | 5-11 | New York, N.Y. |
| Andy Yoon | Sr. | 5-11 | Cypress, Calif. |
Players Mentioned
