The regular-season tournaments are over, the Pacific-10 Championships are over, the qualifying tournament is over, and the No. 26 Oregon women’s golf team has survived it all.
Now there’s just one tournament left in the careers of four Oregon seniors and their coach, Renee Baumgartner, who’s retiring after this season to take over responsibilities as assistant athletic director. That tournament is the NCAA Championships in Sunriver, which start in a little over a week.
“We’re all going to be celebrating at the championships,” Baumgartner said about her last season as coach. “In Oregon, which is even better.”
The Ducks have never placed higher than seventh at the NCAA Championships, and have finished in the top 10 only once.
Thank you, OSU
Oregon State did the Ducks a favor by placing last at the West Regionals. The Beavers will still host the NCAA Championships, but since they didn’t qualify to play, Oregon will be the home team.
The Beavers feel that way, at least.
“The Oregon State players came up and said, ‘you’re representing Oregon, play well for both schools,’” Baumgartner said.
Home sweet Sunriver
The Crosswater Resort Golf Course, site of the NCAA Championships, is not new to the Ducks.
Junior Jerilyn White will try to once again lead the Ducks in Sunriver next week as she did at the Pac-10s and West Regionals.
In September, Oregon kicked off their season at the NCAA Fall Preview at Crosswater, which featured the top 21 teams in the country at that time. The Ducks placed seventh in that tough tournament and will play under almost the exact same conditions next week.
The last blast
The NCAA Championships marks the last tournament at Oregon for four seniors — Angie Rizzo, Anika Heuser, Kylie Wilson and Pam Sowden — and Baumgartner. All four players have been playing under Baumgartner for four years.
The lone team member who won’t be mourning the end of her season is junior Jerilyn White. The Salem native is the team’s stroke average leader and is ranked 80th in the nation individually. White has paced the Ducks at both postseason tournaments they have played in.
Top competition
The favorite at the NCAA Championships will be a toss-up between No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 Duke. Both teams are red-hot going into the championships.
Arizona has won seven tournaments in a row, stretching back to October. Duke has won five tournaments in a row, and eight this season. Both won their respective conference championships and regional tournaments.
Individual battle
The individual race will be close as well. Top-ranked Jenna Daniels of Arizona struggled at the regionals and finished 15th overall, her worst finish of the season by seven places. Other Pac-10 competitors will take advantage if Daniels struggles again.
Arizona State freshman standout, second-ranked Miriam Nagl, who won the west regionals, should compete for the individual title, as will No. 4 Beth Bauer of Duke.
The NCAA Championships will be played May 24-27 in Sunriver.
