The Oregon women’s golf team provided some heat for the otherwise frigid Midwest, finishing in fourth place at the Indiana Invitational at the Crooked Stick Golf Course in Indianapolis April 9 and 10. In addition to the team’s success, Oregon placed three individuals in the top 13 in the tournament. The same cold weather that caused postponements in Major League Baseball this week also forced the cancellation of one round of golf on Monday, shortening the event to 36 holes.
The cold temperatures on the links were reflected in the Ducks’ scores on Monday. Freshman Felicia Eastick carded Oregon’s best round of the day, a three-over-par 75. Senior Kim McCready, returning to action after sitting out almost two months with a wrist injury, also got off to a slow start, posting an 80 in her first 18 holes. Along with the scores of Victoria Wenslow, Kate Hildahl and Cathryn Bristow, the Ducks ended Monday in 10th place in the 17-team field. Oregon wasn’t the only team to struggle in the first round: Only one person in the tournament managed to score a par round on Monday.
The Ducks started climbing the leaderboard early on Tuesday. McCready, perhaps shaking off some rust, reeled off three birdies in her first four holes and rode that momentum to a two-under 70 for the day. Not to be outdone, Bristow holed three birdies in her round and matched McCready’s tally at two under.
The Oregon duo tied for the best round in the tournament, and both vaulted up the individual standings. Bristow, after starting the day tied for 30th, ended the competition at four over par, tied for fourth place just four strokes behind the individual winner, Seul Ki Park of Illinois. McCready climbed 40 spots in the final round, finishing sixth.
Wenslow and Hildahl also improved on their Monday scores and despite shooting a 77 in the final round, Eastick finished the tournament in a tie for 13th place. Wenslow and Hildahl finished up in 60th and 73rd place, respectively. The Ducks were the only squad to place three team members in the top 13. Oregon shot a 296 final round as a team, an improvement of 18 strokes from the previous day. The Ducks finished in fourth place, seven strokes off the pace of Michigan, the team champions. Tuesday was Oregon’s lowest round of the spring season and the second-lowest round of the year after using one fewer stroke in the second round of the par-71 Stanford Invitational in October.
Oregon will have a week to reflect on their efforts in the Midwest before traveling to Seattle for the Pacific-10 Championships April 23-25. The Ducks finished in last place in the 2006 edition of the tournament.