On April 22nd, Caroline Inglis became Oregon’s first Pac-12 individual champion.
The junior Eugene native scored a 4- under 67 in the final round of the Pac-12 Championship in the Boulder Country Club in Colorado.
Recently, Inglis spoke with the Emerald’s Keoni Conlu about her year.
Who do you attribute your work ethic and focus to?
I think definitely my parents because how they raised me. Then coming into (University of) Oregon and being on a team where I do have a support system that’s going to hold me accountable to get out there and practice and to push myself that’s also really important as well i think.
How would you describe this year?
I think for the team it was a pretty normal season, for at least the record books. I mean we did well at Pac-12s, we got second, and we won two tournaments. It was awesome to be apart of and it was a bummer to have it end on the note that we did in San Antonio, to not make it by 3 shots. So I think that we had a good year but kinda left us hungry for more next year: just wanting to make it to the national championship for sure. Then for me, it was a really good year. I got my first win and that was awesome. I finished in top 5 in quite a few events and I just felt like I gained a lot this year.
How was preparing for the Pac-12 championship different from your preparation for other tournaments?
Honestly I don’t think there’s much difference. It’s still a golf tournament, I go into every tournament the same level of focus and level of preparation. Maybe in the back of our heads we are like “oh it’s Pac-12” but I think it’s less the same, you tailor your practice to what the golf course will be like.
What was your mindset heading into the tournament?
We had one of the aimpoint guys. He flew in and we did aimpoint right before we left so it was really good to get a refresher on that. Then we kind of knew the style of course it was so I just practiced a lot of basic chips around the green that I didn’t normally have, shots from the rough, and then I think once we got there it was really finding the particulars that are important because the altitude is so much higher. Before we got there we went on track van at the Eugene Country Club and we adjusted the alititude so we figured out our distances like how far each club is going even before we even got there so that was pretty cool.
How does it feel to be the first individual Pac-12 champion in the state of Oregon?
It felt great. It was really cool. I mean it was an honor, it was such a great tournament, such a great experience, I don’t know how to put it into words. It was really special week for me.
What did this award mean to you, the team, and the state of Oregon golf?
For me, I think it gave me confidence in my game and I know I can compete with a high level. I think for the team, hopefully it’s inspirational for them to work harder and want to accomplish something similar, fire them up and fuel their work ethic. For Oregon women’s golf it’s a big step especially the second place finish, I know we can improve alot but it’s a step in the right direction.