Playing in the same town where it opened the season on such a positive note, things took a strikingly different turn for the Oregon women’s golf team at the Pacific-10 Conference Championships.
The Ducks opened their season with a fourth-place finish at the OSU/Shanico Invitational. Seven months and many tournaments later, Oregon again found itself in Corvallis for the Pac-10 Championships, but under different circumstances. With possible postseason implications on the line, Oregon struggled in what could potentially be its last tournament of the year.
Oregon finished the tournament 10th overall, compiling a three-day total of 943, after shooting its best round Friday with a 312 and then slipping in Saturday’s final round at 315.
Oregon was led by sophomore Johnna Nealy, who finished the tournament tied for 12th overall, shooting a 226. No other Duck provided support for Nealy as the second-best Duck finish of the tournament was freshman Therese Wenlow’s 36th-place finish after shooting a three-day total of 236. Finishing closely behind was freshman Erin Andrews and her 22-over 238. Freshman Michelle Timpani finished 54th overall, followed by sophomore Jess Carlyon at 55th.
No. 8 California earned its first-ever Pac-10 title after posting a 28-over 892. Vikki Laing, who earned the individual Pac-10 title after shooting an even-par 216, led California. No. 6 Arizona, which had won five of the last six championships and was the defending champion, finished five strokes behind California for second place. Following second-place Arizona was No. 13 UCLA, No. 5 USC and Arizona State.
The next tournament Oregon might appear in is the NCAA West Regionals, assuming the team earns a berth after finishing the season with several poor performances.

Duck men begin

Pac-10 play
The Oregon men’s golf team travels down to Glendale, Calif., today to begin play in the Pac-10 Championships at the par-72, 6,736-yard Oakmont Country Club course.
The Ducks will send their No. 1 player, senior John Ellis, who has six top 10 finishes for the season. Senior Chris Carnahan, who is the No. 2 golfer, is competing in his fourth Pac-10 Tournament, while junior Mike Sica is currently Oregon’s No. 3 golfer. Freshman Gregg LaVoie and redshirt freshman Kyle Johnson both are making their Pac-10 debuts, along with junior Jimmy White. The Ducks finished fifth overall in last year’s Pac-10 Tournament.
Oregon begins play at 8:18 a.m. and is paired with Washington.