2008 Woodie Awards
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Ducks need to be the ball to get back into Regional hunt
Oregon is 11 shots and 11 teams behind pace after the first day of the West Regional in Tempe
by Will Seymour | Freelance Reporter |
Oregon coach Casey Martin got some good performances from his squad on the first day of the NCAA West Regional in Tempe, Ariz., but the Ducks find themselves in need of some great golf in order to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Oregon, the No. 20 seed in the 27-team tournament, sits in 23rd place after the first round. At four over par, the Ducks are 24 shots back of leaders UCLA and 11 strokes above the cut. Their team score of 292 is four strokes higher than their worst round on the same Karsten Golf Course at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in April.
Oregon has a round today and the final round tomorrow to move up and secure one of the ten berths to the national tournament.
"Maybe we were a little nervous in the beginning," Martin said in a release. "This is a team with virtually no NCAA experience, so hopefully we got that out of our systems."
The last time Derek Sipe started a tournament in Tempe, it was a round to remember. Sipe, who holds the Oregon record for the lowest single round, shot a seven-under 65 in the first round of the Thunderbird tournament last month. This time out, Sipe took a while to warm up, scoring his first birdie on his fifth hole. In a microcosm of his up-and-down season, he bogeyed the next hole, followed two holes later by a birdie and a double bogey.
Sipe then birdied the first two holes after the turn and pared the rest of the round to finish at one under.
Playing in his first collegiate tournament since the middle of March, Ted Whitney also had a roller-coaster day. The Eugene native carded two birdies in his first five holes only to score three bogeys before heading to the front nine.
Whitney erased his bogey on No. 4 by shooting an eagle on the par-5 5th. The senior finished his round with a birdie on No. 7 and entered the clubhouse tied with Sipe at one under. The pair are tied for 56th place, seven shots behind the individual leader, UCLA's Erik Flores.
Junior Joey Benedetti continued his solid play, shooting a one-over 73 in his first round. Benedetti scored par on his first seven holes followed by a birdie on No. 17. He then suffered what turned out to be a common fate for the Ducks: a double bogey on the 18th hole. In addition to Benedetti and Sipe, Matt Ma and Zeke Reyna each used six shots on the par 4 hole.
Oregon, the No. 20 seed in the 27-team tournament, sits in 23rd place after the first round. At four over par, the Ducks are 24 shots back of leaders UCLA and 11 strokes above the cut. Their team score of 292 is four strokes higher than their worst round on the same Karsten Golf Course at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in April.
Oregon has a round today and the final round tomorrow to move up and secure one of the ten berths to the national tournament.
"Maybe we were a little nervous in the beginning," Martin said in a release. "This is a team with virtually no NCAA experience, so hopefully we got that out of our systems."
The last time Derek Sipe started a tournament in Tempe, it was a round to remember. Sipe, who holds the Oregon record for the lowest single round, shot a seven-under 65 in the first round of the Thunderbird tournament last month. This time out, Sipe took a while to warm up, scoring his first birdie on his fifth hole. In a microcosm of his up-and-down season, he bogeyed the next hole, followed two holes later by a birdie and a double bogey.
Sipe then birdied the first two holes after the turn and pared the rest of the round to finish at one under.
Playing in his first collegiate tournament since the middle of March, Ted Whitney also had a roller-coaster day. The Eugene native carded two birdies in his first five holes only to score three bogeys before heading to the front nine.
Whitney erased his bogey on No. 4 by shooting an eagle on the par-5 5th. The senior finished his round with a birdie on No. 7 and entered the clubhouse tied with Sipe at one under. The pair are tied for 56th place, seven shots behind the individual leader, UCLA's Erik Flores.
Junior Joey Benedetti continued his solid play, shooting a one-over 73 in his first round. Benedetti scored par on his first seven holes followed by a birdie on No. 17. He then suffered what turned out to be a common fate for the Ducks: a double bogey on the 18th hole. In addition to Benedetti and Sipe, Matt Ma and Zeke Reyna each used six shots on the par 4 hole.
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