The Oregon men’s golf team picked up its first win in over six months at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., April 13-15. The Ducks led the event from start to finish, holding off challenges from a strong field that included No. 5 USC, No. 7 UNLV and No. 15 Texas A&M. Junior Derek Sipe once again led the Ducks, finishing the tournament at 12 under par. Sipe led the tournament after two rounds, but was unable to match the final day push of Charlie Beljan of New Mexico, and finished in second place.
Sipe continued his good form from the Duck Invitational at the end of March by coming out on fire in the desert. He birdied his first two holes of the event and racked up five more in the first round.
“Derek was awesome,” Oregon coach Casey Martin said on Friday. “His length off the tee is a tremendous asset on a course like this.”The rest of the Duck squad also hit the ball well on Friday. Joey Benedetti turned in a two under round that featured an eagle on the 17th hole, while senior Matt Ma and freshman Marcus Sostak each scored a one-under 71. Zeke Reyna was the odd man out in the first round, posting a respectable 73.
“This was our best round of the year,” Martin said. “The guys kept it out of the water and played conservatively when they had to and went for it and got some birdies when they had the opportunity.”
Sipe carried his lead well on Saturday, once again doing most of his damage on the back nine of the course. Birdies on 10, 11, 14 and 17 propelled him to a six-under 66 and a two-stroke lead heading into the final round on Sunday. Reyna followed up Sipe’s effort with a second round of 67. Benedetti turned in a par round and Ma finished the day with a two-over 74. As a team, the Ducks expanded their lead over the field to five strokes.
The final round also started well for Sipe as he recorded four birdies in his first seven holes. On the eighth hole he carded his first bogey of the tournament, a double, followed by another bogey on 9. Sipe recovered with a birdie on the 13th hole, but then hit a rough patch, finishing the tournament with three bogeys in his final four holes. That provided the opening for New Mexico’s Beljan to take the individual title, thanks to a final round of 68. Sipe finished three strokes back at 12 under.
The freshman Sostak led Oregon’s defense of its team lead, shooting a three-under 69, a day after struggling through a ten over par second round. Benedetti and Ma both continued their solid play on Sunday. Benedetti shot a 74 to finish at par in the tournament, and Ma scored par for the round and at one over for the event. Oregon finished at 20 under par, three strokes ahead of Arizona State.
The title in Tempe represents the Ducks’ first victory since Oct. 3, when they took the Northwest Collegiate Classic. Oregon’s score of 844 was its best on a par 72 course this season.
The Ducks have a week to celebrate before returning to action for the Pac-10 Championships, to be held in Eugene April 23-25. Oregon finished last in the event a year ago.