Kolbe Irei decided to take it easy over Christmas break and just enjoy his time home with family and friends.

It turns out rest and relaxation were just what the 2020 Roosevelt alumnus needed.

Playing in the first tournament of 2022, the UC Irvine sophomore picked up his first win in college, claiming the Orange County Collegiate Classic on Tuesday in Coto de Caza, Calif.

Irei shot a 1-over 73 in the final round to hold on for a three-shot victory over three golfers, including teammate Darien Zhao.

He finished the tournament at even-par 216 after shooting a career-low 4-under 68 in the second round on Monday.

“It feels really great. I wasn’t expecting this,” Irei said in a phone interview. “I was just getting back into the competitive mode and just trying to play as good as I could play today. It was a grind out there.”

Irei began the final round with a one-shot lead as the only player in the tournament under par. He made birdie on Nos. 3 and 5 to extend the lead but then got into trouble midway through the morning, going 4 over over four holes with a double bogey on No. 11 to move over par for the tournament.

The big moment came on the next hole when he was able to drop in a 25-footer for birdie, and he added another one on 17 to help put it away.

“That put my round back together again,” Irei said of the long putt on 12. “I started putting the ball really well after that. I had a couple of 360-degree lipouts (on 16 and 18) that kind of worried me a little bit.”

Irei knew he started the day with the lead and was ahead on the front nine, but then figured he was three or four shots back after the poor stretch on holes 8-11.

“I didn’t know if I was going to get it done,” Irei said. “I saw my teammates catching up on me and I thought we were going to be in the playoff.”

The par-4 17th was kind to Irei all tournament. It was the last of his four straight birdies, and six total, during the second round that pushed him into the lead after starting in ninth place.

The good times will only continue for Irei as he gets ready to head home to participate in the John A. Burns Intercollegiate on Feb. 17-19 at the Ocean Course at Hokuala on Kauai.

“Coming back home and we’re going to play on Kauai, which will be fun,” Irei said.

When asked if it’s still fun coming back home to play, he simply replied, “100 percent.”