Oregon men’s golf is headed to Brandenton, Florida for the NCAA Championships.
A magical season was in danger of coming to an end. Through two days and two rounds, the Ducks sat in sixth and were on the outside of the top-five looking in at the Noblesville Regional.
But the Ducks saved their best golf for the back-nine of the last round, hitting 17 birdies and adding yet another clutch moment to their season.
Oregon’s lone senior, Jonathan Woo, was the most consistent golfer for the Ducks throughout the tournament. His three-under 69 scorecard in round three was a team-best, and included four birdies on the back-nine. Overall, he tied for seventh place among all golfers in the 14-team regional.
Thomas Lim was not far off. He finished only three strokes behind Woo for the tournament. His one-under 71 in Friday’s second round was the only score under par for the Ducks, which proved to be important in the end.
Zach Foushee and Brandon McIver struggled mightily throughout the tournament, but the latter turned it around on the final day with a two-under 70 scorecard.
Illinois’ Brian Campbell, the N0. 29 ranked player in the nation, won the tournament and finished 10 under.
From the Noblesville Regional, the Ducks will be joined by UCLA, UNLV, SMU and No. 1 Illinois in the NCAA Championships.
This is the second year in a row and sixth in the last nine years the Ducks have made the NCAA Championships. They’ll be looking to improve on last year’s 14th-place finish out of 30 teams.
The NCAA Championships begin on May 29 at the Concession Golf Club in Brandenton.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner