University of Oregon
NCAA West Regional
Ducks Survive Opening Round at NCAA West Regional
05/19/05 | Men's Golf
STANFORD, Calif. ? Despite throwing out the score of its top golfer, the Oregon men's golf team rallied to shoot a 12-over 292 Thursday and was 14th after the first round of the NCAA West Regional. More importantly, the Ducks were just three strokes out of the top 10. The top 10 teams following three rounds at the regional advance to the NCAA Championships June 1-4 in Caves Valley, Md.
Other than the Ducks' top player, Matt Ma, whose errant tee shots left him scrambling for par more often than not, Oregon played solid, if not spectacular golf at the par-70, 6,742-yard Stanford Golf Course.
Gregg LaVoie rode a roller coaster round that ended at even-par 70 to lead Oregon. The junior from Pasco, Wash., had five birdies and five bogeys Wednesday and was tied for 12th.
The Ducks also relied heavily on Midwestern League alums for their opening day score. Thurston High graduate Justin St. Clair carded a 2-over 72 that left the junior in a tie for 34th. Sheldon High alum Chris Dukeminier had a 74 and was tied for 70th. The Ducks also counted a 76 from sophomore Jay Snyder.
Ma, a sophomore from Aiea, Hawaii, who had been on a roll with five straight top-14 finishes heading into the regional, struggled with an opening round 77, but his teammates picked up the slack Thursday.
"It's a tough par 70, and Matt just had trouble keeping it in the fairway," said Oregon coach Steve Nosler. "The way this course is set up, you can't land your ball on the green if you're playing from the rough and we knew that.
"LaVoie played pretty well, Justin was solid as usual and Chris Dukeminier ended up giving us a pretty important score after a rough start," Nosler said. "Matt knows he could have played better, but he's been a very good golfer for us this spring and he'll pick it up for someone the next two days."
Oscar Alvarez of Brigham Young shot a spectacular 7-under 63 to help stake the Cougars to the opening day lead at 2-under 278. Arizona's Nathan Lashley and Pepperdine's Michael Putnam were three strokes back at 4-under 66, while Travis Bertoni of Cal Poly was fourth at 68.
Pepperdine was a shot back of the Cougars at 279. Nevada-Las Vegas was third at 281, followed by Arizona at 283 and New Mexico at 284 to round out the top five. Washington, USC and San Diego State were tied for sixth at 286, UCLA was ninth at 288 and Stanford and South Carolina were tied for 10th at 289.
Auburn and Arizona State were immediately in front of the Ducks at 290, with Louisiana State and Denver two shot back of Oregon tied for 15th at 294.
The second round will be played Friday.
NCAA West Regional
Stanford Golf Course
Stanford, Calif.
First Round
6,742 yards, par 70
Team Scores - 1, Brigham Young, 278. 2, Pepperdine, 279. 3, Nevada-Las Vegas, 281. 4, Arizona, 283. 5, New Mexico, 284. T6, USC, 286; Washington, 286; San Diego State, 286. 9, UCLA, 288. T10, Stanford, 289; South Carolina, 289. T12, Auburn, 290; Arizona State, 290. 14, Oregon, 292. T15, Louisiana State, 294; Denver, 294. T17, Fresno State, 295; Saint Mary's, 295; UC Riverside, 295. South Alabama, 295. T21, Texas-Arlington, 297; Cal Poly, 297. 23, Central Connecticut State, 302. T24, Colorado State, 303; Illinois State, 303. 26, Princeton, 306. 27, Samford, 312.
Top Individuals -- 1, Oscar Alvarez, Brigham, Young, 63. T2, Nathan Lashley, Arizona, 66; Michael Putnam, Pepperdine, 66. 4, Travis Bertoni, Cal Poly, 68.
Oregon Individuals - T12, Gregg LaVoie, 70. T34, Justin St. Clair, 72. T70, Chris Dukeminier, 74. T103, Jay Snyder, 76. T110, Matt Ma, 77.
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Players Mentioned
