University of Oregon
Thunderbird Invitational
Sipe, Ducks Continue to Lead Thunderbird Invitational
04/14/07 | Men's Golf
TEMPE, Ariz. ? Derek Sipe and Zeke Reyna shot rounds in the 60s to help Oregon expand its lead at the Thunderbird Invitational to five strokes following the second round of the tournament, played Saturday at the par-72, 7,037-yard Karsten Golf Course.
The Ducks shot a 9-under 279 in the second round for a 20-under two-day total of 556. Oregon will carry a five-shot lead over 15th-ranked Texas A&M into Sunday's final round. The Aggies, who also carded a 279 Saturday, were second at 15-under 561. No. 5 USC is third at 13-under 563, with No. 19 Arizona State and No. 23 Arizona tied for fourth at 12-under 564. New Mexico was sixth at 568, while No. 7 Nevada-Las Vegas and Oklahoma were tied for seventh at 569.
Sipe shot a 6-under 66 Saturday to hold off New Mexico's Charlie Beljan for the second straight day. The junior from Yorba Linda, Calif., leads the tournament at 13-under 131, two shots ahead of Beljan's 11-under 133. Sipe had six birdies that came on the fifth, seventh, 10th, 11th, 14th and 17th holes. He has played bogey-free golf through the tournament's first 36 holes.
USC's Rory Hie and San Diego State's Aaron Goldberg were tied for third at 8-under 136. Oklahoma's Jesse Schutte and Steve Saunders of New Mexico were tied for fifth at 6-under 138. Schutte, from Florence, Ore., had a 70 on Saturday.
Reyna, a junior from Weslaco, Texas, provided a spark for the Ducks by shooting a 5-under 67. He had eight birdies, seven pars, a bogey and a double bogey on Saturday and was tied for 13th overall at 4-under 140.
The 67 was a collegiate best for Reyna whose previous low round of 69 came when he was a freshman playing for Southern Methodist. He moved up 31 spots after being tied for 44th following a 73 in Friday's opening round.
Other Oregon competitors included junior Joey Benedetti, who was tied for 18th at 2-under 142 after an even par 72 on Saturday and senior Matt Ma who was tied for 36th at 1-over 145.
The final round is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Sunday morning. Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com.
Thunderbird Invitational
Karsten Golf Course
Tempe, Ariz.
Second Round
7,037 Yards, Par 72
Team Standings - 1, Oregon, 277-279-556. 2, Texas A&M, 282-279-561. 3, USC, 278-285-563. T4, Arizona, 287-277-564; Arizona State, 281-283-564. 6, New Mexico, 291-277-568. T7, Nevada-Las Vegas, 285-284-569; Oklahoma, 282-287-569. 9, Texas Tech, 279-292-571. 10, California, 287-287-574. 11, San Diego State, 298-284-582. 12, Central Florida, 291-292-583. 13, Baylor, 288-298-586. 14, Fresno State, 296-296-592. 15, Kansas State, 289-307-596.
Top Individuals - 1, Derek Sipe, Oregon, 65-66-131. 2, Charlie Beljan, New Mexico, 66-67-133. T3, Rory Hie, USC, 67-69-136; Aaron Goldberg, San Diego State, 70-66-136. T5, Jesse Schutte, Oklahoma, 68-70-138; Steve Saunders, New Mexico, 71-67-138.
Other Oregon Results - T13, Zeke Reyna, 73-67-140. T18, Joey Benedetti, 70-72-142. T36, Matt Ma, 71-74-145. T78, Marcus Sostak, 71-82-153.
- www.GoDucks.com -
Players Mentioned
