In what was its last tournament before the Pacific-10 Conference championships, the women’s golf team wanted to make a statement.
Though a fourth-place finish at the Baylor Spring Invitational was certainly respectable, head coach Ria Quiazon had her eyes set on the top prize. As such, Quiazon and the rest of the team came away disappointed with the final result.
“I was really disappointed,” Quiazon said. “I wanted to win there, and you do what you can in the process: you try to hit the shots, you try to prepare, and all the other things you can’t really control, like how the other teams play and the bounces you get on the golf course.”
The bounces, quite simply, rarely went Oregon’s way. The Ducks finished with a collective score of 926 (62 over par) and did not break par in any of the three rounds.
“This week we were faced with firm Texas fairways,” Quiazon said. “We need to learn to play better in firm, fast conditions.”
Indeed, shots that normally bounce cleanly onto the lush fairways of the Northwest did just the opposite in Texas. The Ducks were not used to such unpredictable turf, and three days were not nearly enough to establish a comfort zone.
“The greens are not what we’re used to playing, and the course was just completely different from everything that we always play,” freshman Cheyenne Hickle said. “So it was just hard to adjust to.”
Some solace could be found in the individual standings, where Oregon placed four players in the top 20.
Hickle led the way for the Ducks, placing sixth overall with a final score of 229 (13 over par), while senior Kate Hildahl followed in a tie for 12th place with a 231 (15 over par). Junior Kendra Little’s score of 232 (16 over par) was good for a 15th place tie, and junior Erica Omlid tied for 20th with a 234 (18 over par)
With the regular season now complete, Oregon will be able to concentrate fully on next week’s Pac-10 Championships. Though the Pac-10 is arguably the best conference in the nation, the Ducks will have the distinct advantage of playing at home at Eugene Country Club.
“There are definitely perks to playing at home,” Quiazon said. “We have been playing from the yardages that we will be playing Pac-10s from … we’ve just been trying to be out at Eugene Country Club as much as we can.”
As a result, the team knows every in and out of the course, and some players have been playing it since childhood.
“Two of our girls, including myself, basically grew up on the course,” Little said. “We’re going to know the course better than anyone else in the field, so we’ll be ready for it.”
Still, the Pac-10 is filled with so many strong teams that the home course advantage may not be enough. UCLA and Arizona State boast the top two rankings in the nation respectively, while USC, Arizona, Stanford, and California are also in the top fifteen.
The Ducks themselves are no strangers to tough competition, as Quiazon has made a point of entering tournaments loaded with talent.
“If I was going after top-five finishes then I’d put my team in tournaments that weren’t as strong,” Quiazon said. “But I wanted them to see everybody and wanted them to see a lot of different conditions.”
“The diversity of our schedule this year I think really will help us in the long run,” Little said.
Oregon may not be the favorite in the Pac-10 Championships. Indeed, a top-five finish would be impressive in such a stacked field. But the Ducks are holding out hope for a home course miracle.
“You never know what the Pac-10s will hold,” Quiazon said. “Especially when it’s on your home course.”
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