LaVoie Shines, but Ducks Fall Back at NCAA West Regional

STANFORD, Calif. ? Gregg LaVoie continued his strong play but his Oregon teammates struggled Friday at the NCAA West Regional. The Ducks shot an 18-over 298 that left them tied for 16th, 12 strokes out of the top 10. The top 10 teams following three rounds at the regional advance to the NCAA Championships.

After falling to 3-over with a bogey on No. 11, LaVoie, a junior from Pasco, Wash., birdied three of his next four holes to get back to even par. He then pared his final three holes to earn his second straight 70. Overall, LaVoie is tied for 11th at 140.

If Oregon fails to finish in the top 10 Saturday, he could advance to the NCAA Championships individually. The top two individuals not on an advancing team also qualify for the NCAA Championships June 1-4 in Caves Valley, Md.

On Friday, the Ducks also counted a 75 from Chris Dukeminier, a 76 from Justin St. Clair and a 77 from Jay Snyder. No. 1 golfer Matt Ma continued to struggle and shot an 82 in the second round. St. Clair, a junior from Springfield, Ore., was tied for 68th overall at 148, while Dukeminier, a junior from Eugene, Ore., was tied for 76th at 149.

Oscar Alvarez of Brigham Young shot a 1-over 71 and continued to lead the event with a two-day total of 6-under 134. Alvarez had a four shot lead on four golfers tied for second at 2-under.

Nevada-Las Vegas shot a 3-under 277 to overtake BYU for the team lead at 558. The Cougars were second at 562 following Friday's 284. New Mexico and Washington were tied for third at 568, Pepperdine and Arizona State were tied for fifth at 571 and San Diego State and UCLA were knotted in seventh at 576.

South Carolina was ninth at 577, USC was 10th at 578, Arizona was 11th at 579 , while Stanford and Saint Mary's were tied for 12th at 580. Auburn was 14th at 583, UC Riverside was 15th at 585, followed by the Ducks and Denver at 590.

The final round will be played Saturday.

NCAA West Regional

Stanford Golf Course

Stanford, Calif.

Second Round

6,742 yards, par 70

Team Scores - 1, Nevada-Las Vegas, 281-277-558. 2, Brigham Young, 278-284-562. T3, New Mexico, 284-284-568; Washington, 286-282-568. T5, Pepperdine, 279-292-571; Arizona State, 290-281-571. T7, San Diego State, 286-290-576; UCLA, 288-288-576. 9, South Carolina, 289-288-577. 10, USC, 286-292-578. 11, Arizona, 283-296-579. T12, Saint Mary's, 295-285-580; Stanford, 289-291-580. 14, Auburn, 290-293-583. 15, UC Riverside, 295-290-585. T16, Oregon, 292-298-590; Denver, 294-296-590. 18, South Alabama, 295-297-592. 19, Fresno State, 295-299-594. 20, Louisiana State, 294-301-595. T21, Cal Poly, 297-307-604; Texas-Arlington, 297-307-604. 23, Colorado State, 303-302-605. 24, Princeton, 306-301-607. 25, Illinois State, 303-309-612. 26, Samford, 312-302-614. 27, Central Connecticut State, 302-317-619.

Top Individuals -- 1, Oscar Alvarez, Brigham, Young, 63-71-134. T2, Nathan Lashley, Arizona, 66-72-138; Kevin Chappell, UCLA, 71-67-138; Pat Moore, Arizona State, 69-69-138; Ryan Moore, Nevada-Las Vegas, 69-69-138.

Oregon Individuals - T11, Gregg LaVoie, 70-70-140. T68, Justin St. Clair, 72-76-148. T76, Chris Dukeminier, 74-75-149. T106, Jay Snyder, 76-77-153. T128, Matt Ma, 77-82-159.

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