The Oregon men’s golf team found themselves going in the wrong direction Tuesday.
Despite getting a pair of 71’s from sophomore Justin St. Clair and freshman Matt Ma, the Ducks dropped a spot, finishing seventh after the third round of the Pacific-10 Championships in Marana, Ariz.
“We finished 13-over today, we didn’t do what we wanted on the course,” Oregon head coach Steve Nosler said. “We had a couple of 71’s, but unfortunately we had to take some high numbers.”
Players seemed to be adjusting to the lengthy par-72, 7,435-yard Gallery at the Dove Mountain course. The third round had 20 players shoot even par or better, but only a couple of Ducks experienced the course’s good graces.
More importantly, the Duck’s 13-over 273 did nothing to bolster Oregon’s slim chances at a NCAA West Regional bid.
“The number we had was disappointing,” Nosler said. “We are just giving away too many strokes. It’s a difficult course, but we are making it harder than it actually is. It’s more target golf than we are used to. At home, if you miss the fairway you can just hit it out of the trees. Here you might have to go back to the tee.”
The hope for a top-five finish entering the third round is still a reality, however. The Ducks trail No. 18 California by just five strokes, and fifth-place Southern California by 12.
St. Clair anchored the Oregon squad by continuing his impressive play of late, firing a 1-under 71 to tie with fellow teammate Matt Ma for the low round of the tournament for the Ducks. St. Clair recorded three birdies and two bogeys and moved into 13th at 2-over 218.
“I think I played pretty consistently today,” St. Clair said. “I left a few putts out there, but I
was striking the ball fairly well.”
Freshman Matt Ma made the biggest move up the leaderboard. He started the day tied for 32th, but with his 1-under 71, the freshman finished in a tie for 21st at 7-over 223. Sophomore Kyle Johnson struggled to 6-over 78 and fell into 26th overall. Sophomore Gregg LaVoie, last year’s top finisher for the Ducks at the event, fired a third round 4-over 76, leaving him in a tie for 31st at 227.
Senior Mike Sica struggled for the second straight round Tuesday. The co-captain dropped into 55th after recording a third-round 83. Freshman Dustin Pewarchuk fired a 77, leaving him alone in 49th at 20-over 236.
As a team, Arizona State recorded one of two rounds under par today, giving them a nine-stroke advantage over in-state rival Arizona. Defending champion and third-ranked UCLA carded the low round of the day to move into third with a 7-over 1087. Washington finished in fourth at 1106.
“After yesterday we expected more, but it’s nice to see the other guys step up,” Washington head coach Matt Thurmond said. “The six count five format is difficult. You have to have five guys play well, and it’s usually the fifth or sixth guy that hurts you.”
Individually, reigning NCAA individual champion Alejandro Canizares of Arizona State took over the top spot on the leaderboard at 7-under 209 with his 6-under 66. The leader after the first two rounds, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie, fell into a tie for fifth after his third round 77.
The final round of the Pac-10 championships will tee off today at 7 a.m.