A few days before the opening round of Mauna Lani Invitational, sophomore Daniel Miernicki stated that the team’s goal was to win the tournament. It seemed a lofty wish at the time, given the immense depth of the field.
As it turned out, the Ducks came very close to making that goal a reality. The team tied for second in the opening competition of the spring season, defeating a slew of quality opponents in the process.
“That was an incredible effort by my guys,” head coach Casey Martin said. “They played so well … and that was the biggest college tournament of the year so far, with the best field as far as the rankings of the teams that were there and the size of the field.”
Sophomore Andrew Vijarro led the way for the Ducks, finishing in a tie for eighth place at even par. Miernicki and sophomore Eugene Wong were not far behind, capping the tournament tied for 10th place at one over par. Junior Isaiah Telles finished three over par, good for a tie for 19th place. As a team, the Ducks shot 869 (five over par).
The only team that finished ahead of Oregon was No. 2 Stanford. No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 4 Florida State, No. 6 Arizona State and No. 7 TCU all finished behind the Ducks, who currently sit at No. 29 in the nation.
Knowing that Hawaii is notoriously windy, Oregon practiced its wind shots with particular vigor leading up to the tournament. The team’s diligence paid off, and the team now feels prepared for whatever elements are thrown at it.
“We gained so much experience,” Martin said. “We played in a lot of tough conditions; it was very windy. So we were able to play through a lot of wind and a lot of difficult conditions … just that experience of playing with the best in tough conditions and doing as well as we did, I think we’ll gain a lot of confidence, and we know what we’re capable of.”
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