Senior Johnna Nealy’s sixth-place finish at the NCAA West Regional this weekend helped the Ducks finish 10th in the field of 21.
Nealy carded a team low score of 220, which was good enough to earn her a spot at this year’s NCAA Championships.
The Ducks opened Saturday’s final round at the par-72 New Mexico State University Golf Course in seventh place and in position to grab a team bid for the NCAA Championships but recorded a staggering 20-over 308, dropping them three spots in the field. Oregon finished with a score of 913, six strokes out of qualifying range for the NCAAs.
The tournament may have ended the Ducks’ team season, but Nealy will continue to play May 17 at the NCAA Championships in Sunriver.
Nealy’s finale at the Regional was a treat for those in attendance. The senior from Grants Pass took part in a two-hole playoff against Fresno State’s Laura Leuthke. Leuthke scored a tournament low 68 in the final round, forcing the playoff. But she could not keep up the pace, and Nealy defeated her by one stroke on the second hole.
Nealy’s teammate Kim McCready continued her consistent play in the final round, finishing tied for 11th at 223. The rest of Oregon’s finishers included freshman Victoria Wenslow (231), who tied for 48th, Erin Andrews (239) tying for 85th and Michelle Timpani (247), who tied at 103rd.
Sophia Sheridan (212) of No. 25 California took first place with ease after shaving three strokes off her second-round score to finish 2-under. She finished a comfortable five strokes ahead of No. 9 Tennessee’s Violeta Retamoza (217).
Retamoza’s second-place finish helped lead the Volunteers into a tie for first with No. 2 UCLA. The team title is the Bruins’ second in as many years.
— Scott J. Adams