This season, the Ducks failed time and time again to close out tournaments and cement leads in the final round. 

Which is why through two rounds, there was doubt that the No. 14 Oregon women’s golf squad would even make it into the top five of the Auburn Regional and advance to the NCAA Championship — even as the region’s 3-seed.

The Ducks had no intentions of ending their season this week. 

In an electric final round, Oregon shot the best round by any team in this tournament, a five-under (283), highlighted by four par-or-under performances from the lineup. 

The Ducks finished the competition as the second-best team and paved a clear path to Carslbad for the final stretch of the season. 

Oregon’s star, and national No. 4 ranked player, Kiara Romero led the way through all three rounds. If it weren’t for her consistency throughout, the Ducks may not have even made the cut for the next round. 

Romero’s first two rounds were well below her usual standard, but she kept her play controlled, which set her up for a major climb in the final round. 

Romero kept her play contained for the most part, as she shot just five bogeys in all three rounds. What kept her from making a major push into the top 10 was the fact that she also shot three double-bogeys during her time in Auburn. 

Her dazzling three birdie and two bogey outing on Wednesday secured her a one-under (71) and brought Romero into the top 10 for a tie at tenth. 

Romero finished with a 73-74-71 for the competition, which is a fantastic three-round score, but she will have to learn to step up when the lights shine brightest. 

The one player that Romero tied with was another of the team’s freshmen, Ting-Hsuan Huang. 

Huang enjoyed another three rounds of positive golf, building off her performance in the Pac-12 Championship. Her 73-75-70 scorecard finished with a five birdie, three bogey, two-under

(70) — including a complete par-or-better front nine. 

A top 10 finish for a freshman is a glaring positive for her season, especially since Huang showed the ability to muster up her best golf in the final round.

Two strokes behind them sat Ching-Tzu Chen. The fifth-year started the competition with two significantly subpar outings, but closed out the regional with one of her best rounds of the season. 

Chen shot a 76-74-70. The last score, a two-under (70), propelled her nine spots up the leaderboard on Wednesday to 12th. 

The third freshman in the lineup, Karen Tsuru, had a lot of positive golf in Auburn this week. Tsuru delivered a 76-74-72 performance throughout the regional, which showed much of the positive impact that Tsuru has made. 

Tsuru finished the week tied for 16th, which is her best finish this season. 

Tsuru didn’t find herself in many early season lineups, but as soon as she got her chance this season she took it and ran with it. Since she is so young, it will be expected of her to improve as she goes along, but it seems as if she cemented her spot in the lineup. 

Finally, senior Minori Nagano played a competition to forget — a 76-78-78 scorecard. Much more was expected from her season, but time after time she failed to deliver. 

Nagano finished the competition tied for 40th out of the 66 golfers, and will hope to bounce back in her final performance of the season in Carlsbad. 

Oregon women’s golf played an excellent season, and are incredibly deserving of its appearance in the NCAA championship. 

It found a way every time to make sure that in any given competition, the Ducks finished in the top half. Because of that, Oregon received a favorable ranking in the regional, which set them up perfectly to make a major splash in Auburn. 

While that splash didn’t come until the third and final round of the competition, the momentum that Oregon gained will be crucial as it moves onto the championship rounds. 

The Ducks’ clutch play this week was an incredibly welcome sight, and will be all the momentum that the team needs heading into the NCAA Championship in Carlsbad, CA on May 17-22 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa. 

Scorecard: Scores, Total (Par), Place in rankings

Romero: 73-74-71, 218 (+2), T-10th

Huang: 73-75-70, 218 (+2), T-10th

Chen: 76-74-70, 220 (+4), 12th

Tsuru: 76-74-72, 222 (+6), T-16th

Nagano: 76-78-78, 232 (+16), T-40th