Adjusting to a new coach can be difficult, but the No. 32 women’s golf team has done so in stride as they have finished fifth, first and eighth respectively in their first
three events.
“I feel really good about (how we started the season),” senior Kate Hildahl said. “I think we’ve all really adjusted to our new coach, and we’ve gotten a few tournaments under our belt. We feel really good about what we’ve done so far.”
One aspect of the team that has remained consistently excellent is the play of junior Kendra Little. The former basketball player from Eugene has finished first on the team in all three tournaments and first overall in the Dick McGuire/Branch Law Invitational and the Giustina Memorial Classic.
In the Ducks’ last tournament, the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational from Oct. 5 to Oct. 7, Little hit 4-over-76 in the final round and finished tied for 28th overall, while the Ducks ended up in eighth place as a team for the tournament.
“It was a course that we knew was going to be demanding,” head coach Ria Quiazon said. “They’ve played a lot of major championships there in golf, and it’s a good test of golf for anyone. It was great to have that experience early in the year so that we have time to work on our weaknesses before regionals and nationals.”
Behind Little, junior Monika Graf hit a 77 in the final round and finished the tournament tied for 35th, while Hildahl was not far behind, also hitting a final round 77 and finishing tied for 37th.
Graf had six birdies in the tournament, a team-high, while Hildahl finished with four and Little ended up with three.
The team had better luck in the Giustina Memorial Intercollegiate in Corvallis on Sept. 28 and 29. Behind another brilliant performance from Little, the Ducks finished in first place as a team by a whopping 25 strokes. Oregon placed ahead of other Pacific-10 Conference foes such as Washington State (second) and Oregon State (fourth).
Little finished in first place individually by nine strokes, her closest competitor being Juanita Rico from Wyoming.
“I hadn’t really been hitting the ball particularly well,” Little said. “My putting was probably the best I’ve ever had, so I think that my short game in general really saved me.”
Freshman Cheyenne Hickle also played well in Corvallis, finishing tied for third place. Additionally, Hildahl, sophomore Ashley Edwards and junior Erica Omlid all tied for 14th place.
The Ducks had another strong finish in their first tournament of the season in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Oregon took fifth place in the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational with an overall score of 885, nine over par.
Little began the year with a bang, earning an individual title with a tournament record score of 207 (12 under par). In the final round, she recorded seven birdies, nine pars and just two bogeys. She finished the round with a 68 (five under par) for the second straight day, tying the second-best score in school history.
“She is really starting to realize what she is capable of,” Quiazon said. “When she’s played really well, she’s used words like ‘trust’ and reacted to it like any other sport that she’s played. She’s so athletic, and we all know of her basketball background and the background of sports in her family. She’s really taken that mindset to golf and the way she
approaches golf shots.”
The closest finisher on the Ducks behind Little was Edwards (24th overall), followed by Hildahl (45th overall) and Hickle (50th overall).
As a team, the Ducks finished behind No. 14 Pepperdine, No. 22 New Mexico, No. 33 UNLV and No. 31 TCU.
The tournament was the first for Quiazon, who took over as head coach in June.
“My first tournament could not have gone better,” she said. “My team and I were saying that it didn’t feel like it was my first event with them because we spent such great time together when I brought them back on Sept. 7. Between then and our first tournament, we just worked so well and so hard that I felt like I’d been coaching them for a long time.”
“(The transition) has been really smooth,” Little said. “(Quiazon) just really has a good feel for coaching and the game as a whole, and we’re very fortunate to have her.”
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Little ignites Oregon’s early success
Daily Emerald
October 18, 2009