Oregon’s season wrapped up on Monday afternoon as the Ducks finished 24th in the stroke-play portion of the NCAA Championships in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Only the top eight teams from stroke play advance to match play.
Despite its finish, Oregon played its best golf over the final two rounds. But the Ducks simply couldn’t rebound from a rough 45-over 333 first round which put them at the bottom of the field from the outset of the tournament.
The weekend also featured some rough weather, which didn’t exactly help the Ducks’ climb from 24th. The second round of the tournament was canceled due to “severe” weather conditions, which cut stroke play from 72 holes to 54.
Like the weather, Oregon improved as the weekend went on. It followed up its first round 45-over 333 with a 31-over 319 in the second round. It improved even more in the final round, and carded a 20-over 308.
Sophomore Kathleen Scavo led the Ducks in scoring with an 18-over 234. She shot an even par (72) in the final round, the best round of any Duck over the weekend. She was one of only 12 golfers to shoot an even par or better over the 54 holes of stroke play.
“Even-par on this course is phenomenal,” Oregon head coach Ria Scott said.
The course gave every team trouble, not just the Ducks. Northwestern led after stroke play concluded with a 33-over 897. The Ducks finished 96-over 960.
Now that its season is over, Oregon is saying goodbye to two crucial members of the program: Cathleen Santoso and Marcella Pranovia, who played their last rounds of collegiate golf on Monday.
Pranovia was a key part of both NCAA Championship runs the Ducks have made the past two season. Santoso will go down as one of the best golfers in program history. She has the record for most rounds played (138) and owns the third-best scoring average (73.78).
“Marcella and Cathleen have been part of record-breaking accomplishments during their time here at Oregon,” said Scott. “We are grateful for all they’ve done for our program and, to be honest, it’s hard to imagine this team without them.
“They came in as girls, and they leave here as Women of Oregon.”
Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris