It is easy to forget that less than a year ago, the outlooks for both the men’s and women’s golf teams were unclear. The youth-driven men knew they had talent, but how soon would it materialize? Meanwhile, the women had a brand new head coach in Ria Quiazon and were just as unsure about exactly what to expect.
Fast forward to the final week of May. The men are ranked No. 1 in the nation and just won their Regional tournament by a commanding 10 strokes. Under the tutelage of Quiazon, the women blitzed through the postseason, making it all the way to the NCAA  Championships for the first time in 10 years.
In all, it would not be a stretch to declare that both the men and women have vastly exceeded expectations this year. And the men are far from finished, as they put their No. 1 ranking to the test against the nation’s best in the NCAA Championships the week this magazine went to press.
It was a season full of highlights for the men, but the turning point came at the USC Invitational in Southern California, which the Ducks won by an astonishing 16 strokes. Sophomore Eugene Wong also took the individual crown, the first of two victories for the eventual Pacific-10 co-Golfer of the Year.
By season’s end, head coach Casey Martin had been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year, sophomore Daniel Miernicki earned a spot on the All-Pac-10 first team and sophomore Andrew Vijarro garnered an All-Pac-10 honorable mention.
The women may not have taken home as much hardware, but their season was arguably just as impressive. The Ducks took third place in the Pac-10 Championships (the best finish in team history), and that was just the start of their run. At regionals, the team finished sixth overall, punching a ticket to the NCAA Championships in the process.
The season finally came to a close the last week of May, as the Ducks finished tied for 23rd overall at the NCAA Championships.
As of press time, it remains to be seen how the men’s season will end. If prior events are any indication, fans will not be disappointed.
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