The Oregon men’s golf team went from finishing 41 shots back at the Husky Invitational to winning by 9 shots at the Northwest Collegiate Classic in Corvallis, Ore., on Monday and Tuesday. The win is the Ducks’ first at the Northwest Collegiate Classic since 2001 and also the first victory of the season.
Senior Matt Ma improved his opening day score and earned medalist honors by having the lowest score in a qualifying round.
Ma, who finished second at the NCC in 2004, posted a 3-under-par 69 in his final round, and played the type of game head coach Casey Martin challenged him to play.
“Matt was fantastic,” Martin said in a University press release. “He played brilliantly. Every time he made a mistake, he came back with a birdie. It really shows what he’s capable of.”
Martin noticed the difference in his team’s play this week. In the last week Martin said he was tough on his golfers and challenged them. The Ducks’ response was indicative of Martin’s “never-say-die” attitude. Oregon’s new coach acknowledged the importance of the Ducks’ victory because of the effect on the team’s confidence.
Ma wasn’t the only Duck to come back and stroke birdies. Oregon had two other varsity golfers in the top 10, as Joey Benedetti ended in a tie for sixth and Derek Sipe managed a tie for eighth.
Jay Snyder shot 9 over for the Classic. The senior was the last scoring player in the Ducks’ varsity five.
“It was a great team effort,” Martin said. “Our short game was really sharp this week and we took a big step in the right direction as to where we want to be as a program.”
Andrew Leneve, competing as an individual, would have helped the Ducks place four players in the top 10. Nonetheless, the redshirt freshman finished third overall and finished one shot behind Washington’s Zach Bixler.
Bixler, who competed as an individual, was the lone Husky in Corvallis for the Classic. Washington’s Bixler was in the lead after the first day but was unable to hold off Ma to close out the tournament.
The Ducks continue their busy October next Monday and Tuesday in Fairfax, Calif., where they will take part in the Alister MacKenzie Invitational.