If only the Oregon men’s golf team could choose which rounds it wants to score and which it wants to forget, the Ducks could be world-beaters.
However, at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational, it does not work that way, nor does it in any other events.
After a tournament-high round on Friday, the Ducks shot a tournament low on Saturday in the third and final round of the invitational. Oregon finished the round with a 14-under 274, tying its season low with a tournament total 859 at the par-72, 7,037-yard Karsten Golf Course.
Oregon senior John Ellis teamed with freshman Greg LaVoie to shoot a combined 212 after three rounds, good for a 32nd-place tie. LaVoie had the best tournament outing in his young career, along with his career-best single-round score after he shot a 68 in his final round.
Senior Chris Carnahan weathered a tough second-round outing, improving by 11 strokes in the final round and earning his season-best single-round score with a 67. Also contributing for the Ducks was redshirt freshman Kyle Johnson, who finished the tournament with a 216, and he tied at 53rd overall. Junior Mike Sica carded his season best with a 67 in the third round, placing him in a tie for 71st. Junior Jimmy White continued the streak of hot play in the third round, recording his season-best single round score of 71, landing him in a tie for 92nd overall.
“We really played well today,” coach Steve Nosler said. “We finished off well, which will help our confidence. The kids have to be happy with themselves.”
Oregon, struggling with inconsistency throughout much of the spring portion of its 2002-03 season, shot the worst second-round score of any team in the 19-team field, nullifying Saturday’s final round scores and making a top-10 finish highly unlikely. Friday’s second-round performance earned the Ducks a 19th-place finish going into the final round before the Ducks were able to climb four spots.
Arizona State, which hosted the two-day tournament, set a tournament record, shooting 40-under par. The Sun Devils earned the tournament crown with a team score of 824. USC finished eight strokes behind to claim second, followed by Pepperdine, Texas Christian and Oklahoma.
David Shultz of TCU earned the individual award after shooting a 15-under par 201, placing him three strokes ahead of second place finisher, USC’s David Oh.
The Ducks have one week off before heading to Stanford to partake in the U.S. Intercollegiate April 19 and 20.