Duck Golf Teams Open Season with Impressive Performances

Duck Men Tie for 6th in Scottsdale

The Oregon men’s golf team kicked off their season at the 2023 Mirabel Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, AZ, by collectively shooting an impressive 31-under par. This score earned them a spot in the record books with fifth-lowest 54-hole tournament score in the program’s history. Oregon tied for sixth place in the overall tournament standings as three Ducks finished in the top 25.

Leading the way for Oregon was Owen Avrit, who secured a tie for 13th place with a 10-under 203, despite encountering a minor setback with a 2-over score on Sunday. Greyson Leach made a remarkable surge in the final round, carding a 5-under 66 to finish the tournament tied for 22nd at 6-under. Leach’s impressive performance included a sequence of five consecutive birdies on holes 13 through 17, before closing out with a par on the last hole.

Aiden Krafft maintained his consistent form, posting a 69 on Sunday for his third consecutive round under par, finishing the weekend at 5-under and tying for 25th place. Nate Stember ended the final day at even par, earning a tie for 29th place with a score of 4-under. Greg Solhaug wrapped up the tournament strongly, recording a 3-under 68, breaking par for the weekend, and finishing at 1-under.

Collectively, Oregon team demonstrated exceptional skill and determination, highlighted by their impressive performance of 10-under 274 on the final day. Remarkably, they maintained a score of 10-under or better in each of their three rounds, showcasing their consistency and potential as they commence their season.

Scorecard
Mirabel GC – Par 71 (7,060-7,147 yards)
T6 Oregon 274-273-274—821 (-31)
T13 Owen Avrit 67-63-73—203 (-10)
T22 Greyson Leach 69-72-66—207 (-6)
T25 Aiden Krafft 69-70-69—208 (-5)
T29 Nate Stember 69-69-71—209 (-4)
T46 Greg Solhaug 73-71-68—212 (-1)

Top 5 Finish at Husky Invitational

Nate Stember delivered an impressive performance on the final day of the Husky Invitational in Bremerton, WA, on Tuesday. Stember started the day tied for 26th place at even-par but posted his second consecutive round of 70 to secure a tie for 14th place in the tournament. He would be the top finisher for Oregon as the Ducks landed in 5th place with a combined score of 857 (-7).

Aiden Krafft secured his second top-25 at 1-under overall. Greg Solhaug bouned back from a 2-over opening round with back-to-back rounds of 71. Solhaug and Owen Avrit finished tied for 28th at even par.

In the Husky Individual competition, Oregon freshman Kyreece Romero stole the spotlight in the final round by carding an impressive 5-under 67, achieving a top-20 finish in his inaugural collegiate event. Zikang Zhan followed just three strokes behind Romero and tied for 33rd place. Meanwhile, Jay Gould-Healy and Eric Doyle both secured a tie for 35th place at 3-over.

Duck Scorecard
Gold Mountain Olympic – Par 71 (7,115 yards)
5 Oregon 286-281-290—857 (-7)
T14 Nate Stember 74-70-70—214 (-2)
T22 Aiden Krafft 71-68-76—215 (-1)
T28 Owen Avrit 68-74-74—216 (E)
T28 Greg Solhaug 74-71-71—216 (E)
T48 Thomas Jenkins Jr. 74-71-75—220 (+4)
T64 Hugh Adams (I) 76-70-73—219 (+9)

Husky Invitational Individual
Gold Mountain Cascade – Par 72 (7,055 yards)
T20 Kyreece Romero 74-73-67—214 (-2)
T33 Zikang Zhan 72-71-74—217 (+1)
T35 Jay Gould-Healy 72-73-74—219 (+3)
T35 Eric Doyle 76-70-73—291 (+3)

Romero Shines as Ladies Finish Second at Annika Intercollegiate

A remarkable debut by true freshman Kiara Romero and a late surge from the entire lineup propelled the Oregon women’s golf team to a second-place finish on Wednesday at the Annika Intercollegiate at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, MN. Romero’s first tournament as a Duck began with a 5-under 67 in the first round on Monday, and she finished the week at 8-under par in a four-way tie for first place.

The Ducks began the final round in third place and maintained that position for a significant portion of the day. However, a spectacular performance on the back nine turned the tide in their favor. Oregon’s five-player squad produced a 13-under par across the last five holes, highlighted by eagles on the 18th hole from Briana Chacon and Minori Nagano. This surge enabled them to secure the runner-up position with a cumulative 23-under par. The Ducks delivered the best round of the day, carding a 9-under 279, finishing just three strokes behind South Carolina.

Romero kicked off the final day with a blistering start, notching birdies on her first three holes, momentarily seizing the individual lead at 9-under. She encountered three bogeys in the next eight holes but rallied with a birdie at No. 15 and secured a share of the individual win with a birdie on the 18th hole.

Romero’s late birdies in her final four holes were instrumental in Oregon’s breathtaking finish. Briana Chacon, initially 2-over through 15 holes, stormed back by birdying No. 16 and No. 17 and capping her day with an eagle on the par-5 18th. Minori Nagano also contributed to the team’s surge with a birdie on No. 16, followed by an eagle at No. 18. An additional birdie by Ching-Tzu Chen made the Ducks collectively score 6-under par on the final hole. Ashleigh Park added a birdie at No. 15, and Chen dropped birdies on both No. 14 and No. 16.

Team Leaderboard
1. South Carolina – 273-282-283 – 838 (-26)
2. Oregon – 280-282-279 – 841 (-23)
3. Wake Forest – 277-281-284 – 842 (-22)
4. San Jose State – 277-289-289 – 855 (-9)
5. Texas A&M – 283-285-288 – 856 (-8)
6. Texas – 288-280-289 – 857 (-7)
7. Florida State – 287-283-289 – 859 (-5)
8. Virginia – 287-288-290 – 865 (+1)
9. Duke – 291-282-294 – 867 (+3)
10. Mississippi State – 292-286-295 – 873 (+9)
11. Minnesota – 290-301-293 – 884 (+20)
12. Baylor – 286-300-299 – 885 (+21)

Individual Finishes
T1. Kiara Romero – 67-71-70 – 208 (-8)
T5. Briana Chacon – 69-70-70 – 209 (-7)
T15. Minori Nagano – 72-70-69 – 211 (-5)
T18. Ashleigh Park – 73-71-70 – 214 (-2)
T47. Ching-Tzu Chen – 72-78-74 – 124 (+8)

Up Next:

The Oregon women’s team is headed to the Molly Collegiate Invitational on September 25-26 in Monterey, California.

Meanwhile, the men’s team is gearing up for a formidable field at the Ben Hogan Invitational in Fort Worth, TX. The two-day event kicks off on October 2, and boasts 14 opponents all ranked within the top 25.