In its first inter-collegiate matchup of the season, Oregon finished 11th at the Windy City Collegiate Championships in Wilmette, Illinois. In 36-rounds on Monday and 18 on Tuesday, the five Ducks who participated totaled 908 strokes (+44) at the par 72 course.
The tournament served as a valuable measuring stick against top national competition. While other programs spent their preseasons competing against other collegiate schools, Oregon traveled to Europe to face the Spanish national team.
Senior Caroline Inglis led the Ducks by a wide margin with 221 strokes (+5), which tied for thirteenth in the tournament. Sophomore Cathleen Santoso finished second at 13 over par, followed by Cassy Isagawa (+14), Kelsey Ulep (+16), and Cali Hipp (+19).
Out of fifteen teams in the tournament, five ranked in the top fifteen at the NCAA Championship, including Arizona (T-7th) and USC (2nd). USC won the tournament for the second consecutive season with a total of 876 strokes (+12). USC’s Annie Park dominated the individual leader board with 211 strokes (-5).
Hipp was the most impressive Duck early in the tournament, finishing the first round with three birdies and a score of 74. In a solid NCAA debut, Freshman Kelsey Ulep racked up 13 pars in the first round. Santoso improved from a score of 78 to 74 from the first to the second round, moving up the twenty spots up on the leader board. Cassy Isagawa, the lowest scorer on the team last season, finished the first day with scores of 77 and 79.
On the second day, Inglis solidified her spot toward the top of the leader board with a second-straight score of 73. She recorded three birdies in the round, which added up to eight for the tournament.
Though Isagawa started out strong, a double-bogey on a par-4 towards the end of the round led to a final score of 75. Santoso and Ulep posted scores of 77 and 78, respectively, while Hipp continued to struggle after her hot start.
Oregon posted consistent scores in each of its first three rounds (301, 304, and 303).
The Ducks will travel to North Carolina on Friday to participate in the weekend-long Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational. It will be the final competition before Golfstat.com releases its first rankings of the season on October 15th.
Follow Jack Heffernan on Twitter @JHeffy13