For the Oregon women’s golf team, experience is not in short order. With only one freshman on the roster, the Duck women look poised and ready to take on the Pacific-10 Conference tournament at Stanford Golf Course beginning Friday, April 24. And with sophomore Kendra Little leading the way, the experienced Duck team will look to make a run at the Pac-10 title later next week.
Little, a Eugene native and graduate of Sheldon High School, has drawn plenty of attention over the past two seasons with her exceptionally strong play. Last season she led the Oregon team in five of the team’s 12 events, which included her tie for 17th at the NCAA West Regional to help the Ducks to a 13th-place finish overall.
Also during the 2007-08 season, Little broke the school single-round record with a 5-under 67. Shortly thereafter teammate Cathryn Bristow, now a senior, rewrote that record with a round of 65. These, among other accomplishments throughout the year, led Little to be named to the All-Pac-10 second team.
Golf has been a part of Little’s life since she was seven years old, when a close family friend started her off on the putting green. From then on she began to develop a strong talent for the game, which led her to several top finishes throughout her high school career. Two of which include her wins at the World Woods Junior Golf Classic and the TYPC Canyons Tournament – both victories came while Little was a student at the prestigious Missing Link Golf Academy in Bradenton, Fla., during her junior year of high school.
When she returned to Eugene’s Sheldon High for her senior season, Little placed fourth at the 2007 6A State Championships, only two strokes behind the winner. But during that time, Little also had to make a critical decision about where she wanted to attend college the next fall.
“My dad played basketball at Oregon, so naturally I grew up an Oregon fan my entire life,” Little said. “My top two college choices were Ohio State and Oregon. And after taking official visits to both, Oregon was the clear-cut fit for me.”
Kendra’s father, Doug Little, was a letter-winner for the Duck basketball squad from 1971-73. He was a two-year starter for the Ducks and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player his junior year.
Bristow also credited Little’s mental toughness to her basketball background prior to coming to the University. Little was a three-year letter winner for the Sheldon basketball team, averaging more than 15 points per game. Little’s 5-foot-11 frame was an automatic advantage on the basketball court, but now it provides her with the extra torque when teeing off.
Interim head coach Meredith Jones, a former Arizona State and Baylor golfer, added that Little’s natural talent allows her to drive the ball a very long way.
“She has a very strong competitive drive,” Jones said. “I think the other players look up to her because of the way she leads by example.”
Little is one of three Oregon natives on the women’s golf team – the other two being junior Kate Hildahl of Tualatin and sophomore Erica Omlid of Springfield – who have been able to call the UO home for the past couple seasons.
“It’s been very comfortable,” said Little. “It’s nice being able to drive 10 minutes down the road to see my family, but also be far enough away where I can totally engulf myself in golf and school.”
And that’s exactly what she has been able to do this season. Little has led the Ducks in five of her last six rounds, and 12 of 24 rounds on the year. She tied for 39th overall at the Ping ASU Invitational this past weekend, helping the No. 28 Oregon team to a 17th-place finish overall.
And while Little may be one of the younger players on the team, she has grown into an influential leader for this year’s squad.
“It has been absolutely amazing playing with Kendra this year,” said freshman Ashley Edwards. “She is my biggest role model on the team.”
While Little may not be scoring as well as she was at this point last season, she still feels her game has really improved.
“Her scoring is down, but it’s just a few holes here and there,” said Jones. “Her short game has really improved.”
“I feel that I am playing much better golf this season, just not scoring as well,” Little said.
Edwards had similar feelings about the strength of Little’s game this season.
“All year I have been chasing Kendra and trying to keep up with her,” Edwards said. “I believe she makes the team better golfers because everyone strives to be like her.”
Bristow, one of the team’s two seniors and a returning second team All-Pac-10 selection, also feels that Little’s talent is not something that is seen everyday.
“Kendra is one of the most talented players I’ve ever been associated with,” Bristow said.
Now that the team has had some time to recuperate and fine-tune a few aspects of their game, there will be no lack of confidence going into the Pac-10 tournament next weekend. But Little has her sights set a bit higher.
“I’d like to come out at the Pac-10s and have a strong showing, play well at regionals and eventually qualify for nationals,” Little concluded.
And with the support of her coach and teammates, those expectations are more than just a possibility for Little.
[email protected]