That the No. 1 men’s golf team would draw a top seed at next week’s NCAA regional was a given. What wasn’t certain, however, was where the Ducks would be playing.
That question was answered on Monday when Oregon was selected as the No. 1 overall seed at the San Diego State regional. Joining the Ducks will be fellow Pacific-10 Conference schools Arizona and California, as well as UNLV, Augusta State, and Tennessee. In all, head coach Casey Martin was pleased with the draw.
“I’m happy with it for a number of reasons,” Martin said. “We got the No. 1 seed overall, which was great … the field is going to be very challenging, but at the same time if we play well, we should advance.”
Originally, it was assumed Oregon would be forced to travel as far as Yale University on the East Coast for the regional. It is a welcome surprise that the team will instead travel to sunny San Diego.
“(Going to Yale) would have posed some challenges for us,” Martin said. “We would have missed some extra days of school, and just the jet lag and all. I think from a convenience standpoint it’s ideal.”
That doesn’t mean the tournament will be easy. UNLV and Augusta State are ranked No. 12 and No. 13 in the country, respectively, while Tennessee follows at No. 24. California, meanwhile, falls at No. 34 and Arizona is No. 50.
What will give Oregon a distinct advantage is that one of its best players, sophomore Daniel Miernicki, knows the Carlton Oaks Golf Course well. San Diego is home to Miernicki, and he has played the course countless times growing up.
“I’ve played the golf course hundreds of times in my life,” Miernicki said. “Any time you know the golf course like the back of your hand, it definitely gives you an advantage, and hopefully if I play well, I feel like I should have a really good chance to win or place high.”
Both Miernicki and sophomore Eugene Wong will pace the Ducks as the top two players on the team. Just weeks after being named to the all-Pac-10 team, they will be eager to prove they belong among the nation’s best.
All Martin wants is to advance to the NCAA championships. The top five teams in San Diego will move on, and the Ducks aim to be among them.
The draw went about as well as could be expected. All that is left is to go out and play.
“By and large, I’m happy with (the draw),” Martin said. “But I’ll be more happy if we play well.”
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