Johnna Nealy will compete at the NCAA Championships in Sunriver today as the lone representative of the Oregon women’s golf team. The senior from Grants Pass will be one of 126 golfers playing in the finals, scheduled for four rounds at the par-71, 6,312-yard Meadows Course.
Nealy has been a driving force for the Ducks all season, delivering consistent performances each week. She has finished in the top 12 in four of the last six tournaments and leads Oregon with an average score of 74.8.
Nealy earned her first invite to the finals thanks to her outing at the NCAA West Regional two weeks ago; she tied for sixth place following a nail-biting two-hole playoff victory against Laura Leuthke of Fresno State.
Nealy said she is thrilled to have the opportunity to play among the nation’s best.
“I am excited, but I wish my whole team was there, so that’s kind of disappointing,” Nealy said. “I’m really excited to go play and see how I match up against the rest of the country.”
Nealy garnered one of two individual seeds given to players competing for a non-qualifying team from the West Regional– Oregon’s 10th-place finish at the Regional was not enough to land the Ducks a spot in the finals. The other individual seed was awarded to Kay Hoey of Long Beach State.
The NCAAs will mark the end of a successful collegiate career for Nealy, who has played in more college rounds and tournaments than any other player on Oregon’s roster. This season, she was named to the Pacific-10 Conference’s second team, making her the third golfer in school history to be honored on either the first or second team. She is also the second Duck in history to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Unlike most golfers playing today, Nealy has the advantage of competing on a course she has played numerous times. Sunriver is a prime vacation spot for Nealy and her family,
who will be in attendance at
the championships.
“I have a ton of family coming over,” Nealy said. “Hopefully my teammates will show up too. I’ll have the home crowd, which will be good.”
UCLA, Auburn and Ohio State are playing as No. 1 seeds of the West, Central and East Regionals, respectively. From the Pac-10, Washington, Stanford, California and Southern California will also be competing.
The tournament is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday. One round will be played each day.