University of Oregon
NCAA West Regional
Sipe and Whitney Lead Ducks at NCAA West Regional
05/17/07 | Men's Golf
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TEMPE, Ariz. ? Juniors Derek Sipe and Ted Whitney shot 1-under 71s to lead Oregon in the first round of the NCAA West Regional, played Thursday at the 7,057-yard, par-72 Karsten Golf Course. Overall, the Ducks were 23rd of 27 teams at 4-over 292.
Whitney's day was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole. The Eugene, Ore., native also had three birdies and four bogeys. The Sheldon High graduate was a last-minute addition to the Ducks' travel roster following his exceptional performance at the May 9 U.S. Open local qualifier at Langdon Farms in Aurora, Ore. Whitney tied for third by shooting a 69 to advance to the June 4 sectional qualifying round.
Sipe, from Yorba Linda, Calif., had four birdies, a bogey and a double bogey for his 71. He and Whitney were tied for 55th individually.
The Ducks also counted a 1-over 73 from junior Joey Benedetti and a 5-over 77 from junior Zeke Reyna. The Ducks threw out senior Matt Ma's 6-over 78. The par-4 18th proved particularly vexing for the Ducks as collectively, the team played the hole 9-strokes above par, including a bogey and four double bogeys.
The good news was that Oregon was only 11 strokes out of 10th place. The top 10 teams advance to the NCAA Championships May 30-June 2 in Williamsburg, Va.
“We got off to a really poor start and then got it back together a little bit on our second nine,” said Oregon coach Casey Martin. “Eleven strokes on this course is certainly a margin you can make up over the next 36 holes, but we simply must come out and play better tomorrow afternoon before we worry about what place we're in or how many shots back we are.
“Maybe we were a little nervous in the beginning,” said Martin. “This is a team with virtually no NCAA experience, so hopefully we got that out of our systems.”
The only thing hotter than the triple-digit temperatures was UCLA. The Bruins had a remarkable day on the Karsten Course, shooting a 20-under 268 to take a five-shot lead on South Carolina. UCLA counted an 8-under 64 from Erik Flores, a 66 from Kevin Chappell and 69s from Daniel Im and Jason Kang.
Flores held the individual lead by one shot over New Mexico's Charlie Beljan, who carded a 7-under 65. Four players -- James Allenby of Oregon State, Michael Jensen of California, Carl Smith IV of Pepperdine and Chappell tied for third at 6-under 66.
After UCLA and South Carolina, the rest of the top 10 included Arizona State and New Mexico at 275, Stanford, USC and Pepperdine at 277, East Tennessee State at 278, California at 280 and Oregon State and Nevada-Las Vegas tied for 10th at 7-under 281.
In between Oregon and the top 10 were Arizona at 282, Brigham Young and Vanderbilt at 283, Colorado State, Augusta State and Washington at 284, Denver and Wake Forest at 285, Penn at 288 and Nevada and UC Irvine at 289.
Sipe will join Whitney at the June 4 U.S. Open sectional qualifier -- Sipe shot a 70 at Langdon Farms -- as will former Ducks Mike Sica and Ryan LaVoie. Sica, who graduated in 2004, shot a 69 Monday at Bermuda Dunes, Calif., to advance. LaVoie, a 2000 graduate and an all-Pac-10 first team selection as a senior, shot a 69 at Boynton Beach, Fla., May 11.
The NCAA West Regional continues Friday with Oregon slated to tee off at 12:12 p.m.
NCAA West Regional
Karsten Golf Course
Tempe, Ariz.
First Round
7,057 Yards, Par 72
Team Standings - 1, UCLA, 268. 2, South Carolina, 273. T3, Arizona State, 275; New Mexico, 275. T5, Stanford, 277; Pepperdine, 277; USC, 277. 8, East Tennessee State, 278. 9, California, 280. T10, Oregon State 281; Nevada-Las Vegas, 281. 12, Arizona, 282. T13, Brigham Young, 283; Vanderbilt, 283. T15, Colorado State, 284; Augusta State, 284; Washington, 284. T18, Denver, 285; Wake Forest, 285. 20, Penn, 288. T21, Nevada, 289; UC Irvine, 289. 23, Oregon, 292. 24, San Diego State, 296. 25, Detroit, 297. 26, Bucknell, 299. 27, Monmouth, 302.
Top Individuals - 1, Erik Flores, UCLA, 64. 2, Charlie Beljan, New Mexico, 65. T3, James Allenby, Oregon State, 66; Kevin Chappell, UCLA, 66; Michael Jensen, California, 66; Carl Smith IV, Pepperdine, 66.
Oregon Results - T55, Derek Sipe, 71; Ted Whitney, 71. T85, Joey Benedetti, 73. T128 Zeke Reyna, 77. T131, Matt Ma, 78.
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