University of Oregon
Thunderbird Invitational
Golfers Shoot to the Top of the Leader Board at ASU
04/13/07 | Men's Golf
TEMPE, Ariz. ? Derek Sipe rolled in seven birdies to lead Oregon to the top of the leader board following the first round of the Thunderbird Invitational, played Friday at the par-72, 7,037-yard Karsten Golf Course.
The Ducks shot an 11-under 277 to take a one stroke edge on fifth-ranked USC. The Trojans shot a 278 and were one of five teams within five stokes of Oregon. Texas Tech was third at 279, No. 19 Arizona State was fourth at 281 and No. 15 Texas A&M and Oklahoma were tied for fifth at 282.
Other teams below par Friday included No. 7 Nevada-Las Vegas at 3-under 285 (seventh) and No. 23 Arizona and California tied for eighth at 1-under 287.
"This was our best round of the year," said Oregon head coach Casey Martin. "The guys kept it out of the water and played conservatively when they had to and went for it and got some birdies when they had the opportunity.
"This is going to be a new experience for us, leading a tough field like this," Martin said. "We've been playing well recently and hopefully we can keep it going."
Sipe, a junior from Yorba Linda, Calif., took the first round individual lead at 7-under 65. He recorded birdies on the first, seventh, 10th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 18th holes. Sipe began his round on the back nine, meaning he birdied five of the first nine holes he played. The round of 65 was three strokes off his school record of 62 that he carded in Hawaii in February.
"Derek was awesome," said Martin. "He put a new Nike driver into his bag this week and he just pummelled it down the fairway. His length off the tee is a tremendous asset on a course like this."
Sipe held a one-shot lead on Charlie Beljan of New Mexico and a two-shot edge on Rory Hie of USC and Matt Smith of Texas Tech.
Also in the hunt following the first round was Jesse Schutte of Oklahoma. The Florence, Ore., native was tied for fifth at 4-under 68.
All four of Oregon's counting scores were below par. Junior Joey Benedetti was at 2-under 70 that left him tied for 11th. Benedetti's round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 17th. The junior from Huntington Beach, Calif., who tied for eighth at last year's Thunderbird Invitational, also had two birdies and two bogeys on Friday.
Senior Matt Ma and freshman Marcus Sostak were tied for 22nd at 1-under 71. Both players carded three birdies and two bogeys on Friday. Junior Zeke Reyna shot a 1-over par 73 during the opening round and was the Ducks' non-counting score of the round. The transfer from Southern Methodist was tied for 44th.
The tournament continues with single rounds Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's round begins at 7:30 a.m. and live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com.
Thunderbird Invitational
Karsten Golf Course
Tempe, Ariz.
First Round
7,037 Yards, Par 72
Team Standings - 1, Oregon, 277. 2, USC, 278. 3, Texas Tech, 279. 4, Arizona State, 281. T5, Texas A&M, 282; Oklahoma, 282. 7, Nevada-Las Vegas, 285. T8, Arizona, 287; California, 287. 10, Baylor, 288; 11, Kansas State, 289. T12, New Mexico, 291; Central Florida, 291. 14, Fresno State, 296. 15, San Diego State, 298.
Top Individuals - 1, Derek Sipe, Oregon, 65. 2, Charlie Beljan, New Mexico, 66. T3, Rory Hie, USC, 67; Matt Smith, Texas Tech, 76. T5, Jesse Schutte, Oklahoma, 68; Benjamin Alverado, Arizona State, 68; Seung-su Han, Nevada-Las Vegas, 68.
Other Oregon Results - T11, Joey Benedetti, 70. T22, Matt Ma, 71; Marcus Sostak, 71. T44, Zeke Reyna, 73.
- www.GoDucks.com -
Players Mentioned
