Oregon got off to a fast start at the Western Intercollegiate, its last regular season tournament. Playing at the Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California, the Ducks shot nine-under in Monday’s opening round and held a four-stroke lead over second place Stanford.
But in the end, the Ducks (+9) settled for third behind Stanford (-9) and USC (+1) after shooting a combined 14-over 364 in Wednesday’s final round.
Aaron Wise shot a career-low seven-under 63 on Monday, which also tied a Pasatiempo course record. Going into Wednesday, Wise held a one stroke lead over Stanford’s Maverick McNealy.
McNealy, however, shot a six-under 64 in the final round to beat out Wise for first place. Both golfers were named semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award on Wednesday, given annually to the most outstanding collegiate amateur golfer.
Heck of a battle out there today! Congrats to @MavMcNealy on the W 🏆 Now I'm the one who wants a rematch!! #Pac12Championship ⛳️
— Aaron Wise (@aaronwise_) April 14, 2016
Edwin Yi kept the Ducks afloat shooting even par in the first two rounds before dropping to six-under on Wednesday. Zach Foushee finished tied for 12th, shooting even par for the tournament. Sulman Raza and Nigel Lett both took a step back in the last round with eight-over 78’s.
Thomas Lim, returning to the Oregon lineup for the first time since November, finished 12-over for the tournament. Finally, Brandon McIver shot five-over across three rounds playing as an individual.
The Ducks now enter championship season with aspirations to win the 2016 NCAA Championships to be played the Eugene Country Club. Next up, Oregon will play in the Pac-12 Tournament in Salt Lake City, beginning on April 29.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner
