Golf
Overwhelmed by talented squads, the Oregon women’s golf team had a rough weekend at the home of the Cardinal.
The Ducks finished 17th at the Stanford Pepsi Intercollegiate at the Stanford Golf Course in Palo Alto, Calif. The Ducks carded a three-day total of 963, in an outing that Oregon head coach Shannon Rouillard said was one of the toughest tournaments the Ducks will play in all year.
“(Stanford) always has a great field,” Rouillard said. “And it always is a great tournament.”
The Ducks finished 78 strokes behind tournament winner California, which posted a 21-over par 885. Vanderbilt finished in second place at 887, followed by Washington at 890. The three-day tournament had a different leader at the end of each day. UCLA had a two-stroke lead after Friday’s first round, while the Huskies led by two strokes after the second round Saturday. The Ducks were in a tie for 12th place after the first round, but fell into last place Saturday, where they would finish the tournament.
Arizona true freshman Erica Blasberg won individual honors with a 5-under 211. After a 1-over-par first round, Blasberg fired consecutive 69’s, making her the only golfer to finish under par. New Mexico State senior Alena Sharp finished second with an even-par 216.
Sophomore Johnna Nealy and true freshman Michelle Timpani were the only Ducks to shoot under 80 in Sunday’s final round. Nealy finished in a tie for 39th, as her final-round 78 put her at 231. Timpani also fired a 78 on Sunday, putting her at 246.
“Johnna and Michelle came through with solid (final) rounds,” Rouillard said. “It’s too bad we didn’t have two more to go with them.”
True freshman Therese Wenslow, who has set two Oregon records this year, finished in a tie for 69th after a final round 83 put her at 240. Rouillard said Wenslow had been struggling with her putting throughout the week.
The Ducks’ next tournament is the Hawaii Fall Golf Classic Oct. 29-30 in Kapolei, Hawaii.