The Oregon men’s golf team, in college golf terms, is off to a good start.
The Ducks improved three spots on the final day to finish fifth at the Pepperdine Intercollegiate in Oxnard, Calif., Tuesday.
After a fifth-place finish at the Northwest Classic to start the season, and a second place finish at the Husky Invitational two weeks ago, the Pepperdine Intercollegiate was a significant milestone for Oregon. It would have been the ninth-straight top-five finish for the Ducks if they hadn’t placed 13th at the NCAA West Regionals last May.
For the first time this season, the Ducks failed to take the individual crown at a tournament. After Chris Carnahan won the Northwest Classic and John Ellis won the Husky Invitational, juniors Aaron Byers and Brandon Harnden tied for 13th at the Pepperdine Intercollegiate.
Carnahan rallied on the final day of the Pepperdine to finish 20th. It was the sophomore’s third-straight top-20 finish, something no one else on the team has accomplished this year.
Oregon will have nearly a month to prepare for its next tournament, the Prestige at Palm Desert in California. That tournament will be the Ducks’ last of 2000.
Just as the men were breaking the top five in California, the women were dropping a spot at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational in Redmond, Washington.
The Ducks stagnated on the second day at the Sahalee Country Club, shooting a 316 and allowing California to move into eighth, while Oregon dropped to ninth.
Claire Hunter leads the Ducks in Seattle with a ten-over-par 154 over two rounds, and stands in 23rd place.
Southern California and Arizona State flip-flopped their scores on the second day of the tournament, but USC managed to hold on to first place. The Trojans shot a 292 on Monday, but a 307 on Tuesday, while the Sun Devils shot a 311 and a 294. When the dust settled, USC led at the end of the day by six strokes.
The Ducks have one more round to play before concluding the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational. They start the final round of 18 holes today at 10 a.m.