The Oregon men’s golf team may have placed fourth at the Western Intercollegiate Tuesday, but it earned an important victory nonetheless.
The Ducks took on five Pacific-10 conference opponents at San Jose State’s tournament and — a week and a half before the Pac-10 Championships — beat all five.
Oregon (859, 19-over par) finished the tournament in fourth place behind No. 7 Fresno State (838, two-under), Pepperdine (845, five-over) and Kansas (857, 17-over).
The Ducks were aided by Long Beach State’s poor performance in the final round. The 49ers shot a round-three 13-over par and let the Ducks, who played consistently all tournament, move up to fourth.
Senior co-captain Ryan Lavoie, who has carried the Ducks all season, did it once again at the Western. Lavoie shot three-under par over the final 36 holes at the tournament and finished in third place of 100 golfers.
Sophomore Chris Carnahan and senior co-captain Andrew Tredway shared spots in the top-20 with Lavoie. Carnahan finished 14th, while Tredway finished in a tie for 20th.
The Ducks got their third straight top-four finish Tuesday. But, more importantly, they proved their ability to defeat Pac-10 conference foes on a tough golf course. The Pasatiempo Golf Course is one of the best — and hardest — courses in the country. Combine that with three ranked conference opponents and the Ducks’ fourth place finish begins to look impressive.
The Ducks were one of two top-30 teams to survive and finish in the top five at the Western. No. 8 Brigham Young finished ninth, No. 14 Stanford finished 12th, No. 15 Southern California finished 15th and No. 23 Washington finished sixth.
The play of Lavoie was crucial for the Ducks at the Western Intercollegiate, but he is used to the pressure. The co-captain from Pasco, Wash., has been Oregon’s top finisher at four tournaments this year. Last year Lavoie led the team at both the Pac-10 Championships and the NCAA Championships.If there is such a thing as a good pressure golfer, Lavoie is it.
The Ducks will get to know Tempe, Ariz., very well over the next two weeks. The Karsten Golf Course in Tempe is the site of the Thunderbird Invitational next Saturday and Sunday. It’s also the site of the Pac-10 Championships April 18 through 20.
Oregon plays in the U.S. Intercollegiate May 6 and 7.