After a couple days of battling 15-20 mph winds at Palouse Ridge, the No. 8 Oregon men’s golf team finished the Pac-12 Championships strong on the third day, placing second in the conference tournament.
Oregon shot a combined 10-over in the three day, four-round tournament. They finished second to Stanford, who won its second straight Pac-12 title. Oregon’s second place finish was encouraging for a team that finished eighth and sixth place respectively in the last two Pac-12 Championships.
Stanford sophomore Maverick McNealy, who finished first in the tournament, dominated the field with an 18-under, 10 stroke lead.
Ducks freshman Aaron Wise proved again that he could hang with older, more experienced golfers in a collegiate tournament. His eight-under final combined score trailed only McNealy’s. Wise flirted with first place throughout the tournament, but ultimately settled for second after McNealy shot 61 — a collegiate record at Palouse Ridge — in the final round of play.
Zach Foushee wasn’t far behind for the Ducks. He finished the tournament tied for sixth with a combined even-par scorecard.
After a brutal start to the Pac-12 Championships, Brandon McIver was able to figure out the course in rounds three and four. His two-under round three yesterday and a one-under score in the final round helped the Ducks move ahead of Arizona State and USC.
Jonathan Woo, the Ducks’ lone senior, also contributed. Although he cooled off near the end of the tournament, Woo still managed to finish tied for 23rd-place with a combined six-over score.
The Ducks will now continue championship season with the NCAA Regionals, which begin May 14.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner