The University men’s golf team made the best of a bad situation at the final round of the USC College Invitational at the par-71 North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif. After struggling mightily in the first two rounds of the tournament on Monday, three of the five Oregon players shot or equaled their best round of the 54-hole event on Tuesday to finish 13th in the 15-team field and one stroke behind rival Oregon State.
Senior Eric Hastings put up the best individual performance for the Ducks. His three over par score for the tournament was good enough to tie for 15th place. Hastings was the only Oregon player to shoot an under par round in the tournament, a career-low 67 on the first 18 holes. That personal-best round ended with three birdies and no bogeys in the last 10 holes. Junior Joey Benedetti scored a one over par second round and a four over par final round to finish in a tie for 45th. California native junior Derek Sipe shot his final round at par to tie teammate Matt Ma for 55th. Senior Jay Synder had a rough couple of days, his best round was a five over par effort on Monday.
The Ducks will return to action next week at the Lexus Classic in Fresno, Calif. March 12-13.
Women’s Golf
The No. 45 Oregon women’s golf team (Golfweek/Sagarin) held on to its 13th-place position at the Pinehurst Challenge in Pinehurst, N.C., despite a strong challenge from Penn State. The Ducks finished the tournament tied with the Nittany Lions with a team score of 648, 35 strokes behind tournament winners East Carolina, who took the title in a playoff with North Carolina State. Penn State began the final round 11 strokes behind Oregon, but an impressive final round of 311 was enough to earn the tie.
Sophomore Cathryn Bristow was Oregon’s top individual finisher, tying for 33th at 15 strokes over par. Freshman Kate Hildahl finished just one behind her teammate in a tie for 38th. Both golfers shot a five over par 77 in the final round, Oregon’s best round in the event. Her fellow first-year player Felicia Eastick finished at 19 over par and tied for 49th place, while Victoria and Therese Wenslow rounded out the Ducks’ scorecards with tournament scores of 23 and 27 over par, respectively.
The Ducks will fly back west for their only home tournament of the season, the Duck Invitational, to be held at the Shadow Hills Country Club in Junction City March 26-27.
Hastings fires career-low 67
Daily Emerald
March 6, 2007
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