The Oregon men’s golf team opened their season this weekend, finishing eighth out of 14 teams in the Maui Jim Intercollegiate tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona. They rebounded from a tough season opener on Friday to put together a strong Saturday and Sunday.
The Ducks started the tournament and their season with a disappointing performance on Friday, tying for 12th place.
Owen Avrit was their leading performer, shooting an even-par 70. He was consistent, posting a total of 14 pars. Craig Ronne and Eric Doyle finished right behind him with 71 each. It was the first college tournament for freshman Doyle, who got off to a hot start posting two birdies in his first three holes.
As a team, the Ducks shot a 7-over 287 on Friday.
They improved drastically on Saturday, shooting a 14-under 266 to move up to ninth in the standings. Their 14-under round was the third-best score of the day.
Ronne shot a 6-under 64, and the team collected five birdies and two eagles to bounce back from a lackluster Friday performance. They were at just 1-under after the first nine holes, but posted 13-under in the back half of the day.
“Obviously, I’m pleased with the results today,” head coach Casey Martin said on Saturday. “We had a tough day yesterday, but how we responded to that today, I think says a lot about this team.”
Avrit shot a 4-under, posting five birdies in his final 10 holes, while Doyle shot a 2-under.
The Ducks kept that momentum into Sunday’s action, posting a 13-under 267 — just one stroke worse than Saturday.
Avrit set his career best, shooting a 6-under, while Yuki Moriyama and Tom Gueant shot a 4-under and 3-under, respectively.
The strong all-around effort pushed the Ducks up to eighth overall for the tournament. They were fueled by the last two days of action, shooting a combined under-27 after a mediocre 7-over on Friday.
“Really encouraged by our last two rounds,” Martin said. “Happy for Owen. He had a terrific tournament, but everyone really competed and contributed the last two days and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Up next, Oregon will compete in the Husky Invitational on Sept. 20-21.
