In the crazy world of men’s college golf, the Ducks are just getting warmed up.
Oregon wrapped up the regular season on a high note Sunday, finishing fifth overall and third among Pacific-10 Conference teams at the Arizona State Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe, Arizona.
Now come the real tests.
Oregon will again travel to Tempe for the Pac-10 Championships next week and before turning its attention to the U.S. Intercollegiate, the NCAA West Regionals and the NCAA Championships, all in May.
The Ducks finished their season without a tournament win, but they have been consistently good all year long. The Ducks have steadily improved in this new millennium, finishing 14th, ninth, third, second, fifth and fifth — in that order — at tournaments in 2000.
The ASU Thunderbird Invitational was just the latest in a line of small victories for Oregon. After they beat all Pac-10 challengers last week at the Western Intercollegiate, the Ducks finished behind only No. 4 Arizona State and No. 12 Arizona at the Thunderbird. The Arizona schools dominated at the Tempe tournament by claiming six of the top nine individual finishers.
“This was a great preview for next week,” Oregon head coach Steve Nosler said about his team’s performance a week before the conference championships. Nosler hopes this lineup can repeat its performance one more time next week — when it counts.
Senior co-captain Andrew Tredway paced the Ducks, shooting five-under par during his last two rounds to finish in a three-way tie for 17th.
Senior co-captain Ryan Lavoie (even par, 23rd), redshirt freshman Chris Carnahan and junior Matt Genovese, who both wound up three-over and in 31st, factored into the Ducks’ score.
In a rare poor performance, Lavoie shot consecutively higher scores at the Thunderbird. After a two-under par 70 in the first round, the Pasco, Wash., native shot a two-over 146 over the final two rounds. Lavoie, who had an impressive postseason last year, will need to lead the Ducks at the NCAAs again this season.
Arizona State’s Paul Casey took first at the Thunderbird with a birdie on the last hole to edge Arizona’s Derek Gillespie by one stroke. Casey, ranked fifth in the nation and first in the west, and Gillespie, No. 26, are among a handful of top-ranked players in the Pac-10.
The Pac-10 Championships will be played April 24 through 26 at the Karsten Golf Course.