After a third place finish at the NCAA Championships last year, the No. 20 Oregon men’s golf team fell short of a return trip with a 10th place finish at the Southeast Regional this weekend. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4384&SPID=246&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205153725@@
The Ducks needed to place in the top five to move on at the NCAA Championships, but simply never hit their stride in the Ocala, Fla., regional. They shared 10th place with University of Central Florida and Southeastern Louisiana University. @@http://golfstatresults.com//public/leaderboards/team/static/team_players_2605.html?SPSID=4384&SPID=246&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
The finish was particularly disappointing given how Oregon started the tournament last Thursday. Senior Jack Dukeminier roared through the first round, tying a career best 6-under 66, finishing the day at the top of the tournament’s individual standings.
With the rest of the team struggling out of the gates, Dukeminier’s play was crucial in giving Oregon a share of fifth place with Georgia Southern at the end of day one. Juniors Daniel Miernicki and Eugene Wong had both shot 3-over 76, while fellow junior Andrew Vijarro finished at 1-under 71.
Oregon’s precipitous drop in the standings began the next day during the second round. Dukeminier fell back to Earth with a 76 (four-over par), and Miernicki’s play continued to suffer as he dropped to 58th in the standings. As a result, Oregon went from fifth to ninth in the overall standings.
Everything came to a head in the final round on Saturday, when none of Oregon’s five players broke par. The Ducks dropped once again from ninth to 10th overall, and finished the tournament with a total score of 873 (nine-over par).
Vijarro was Oregon’s top finisher, shooting his way to a 17th-place tie with a total score of 214 (two-under par). Dukeminier followed in a tie for 29th place, while Wong and junior Jack Paton found themselves tied for 42nd and 47th, respectively.
Miernicki, meanwhile, never recovered from the slow start and tied for 54th overall. Oregon’s No. 1 player, who placed second overall in last year’s regional final, shot a 225 (nine-over par) over the tournament’s three rounds. The only highlight was an eagle in his final hole of the weekend.
No. 5 University of Florida, which hosted the regional tournament, shot a total score of 846 (18-under par) and came away with an easy six-stroke victory. No. 6 Augusta State placed second, while No. 43 Kennesaw State, No. 29 North Carolina State, and No. 17 Arkansas rounded out the top five that will move on to the NCAA Championships.
Three players (Jace Long of Missouri, Patrick Reed of Augusta State, and Mitchell Sutton of North Carolina State) tied for individual first place finishes with scores of 206 (10-under par).
Oregon men’s golf falls short at Southeast NCAA Regional
Daily Emerald
May 21, 2011
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