University of Oregon
NCAA Championships
Ducks Among Leaders at NCAA Championships
06/02/10 | Men's Golf
* To see a photo gallery of Duck NCAA First Round Pix, click here.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The top-ranked University of Oregon men's golf team got off to a strong start at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships, carding a team score of 4-under 284, good for third place and only one shot behind co-leaders Oklahoma State and Florida State.
Eugene Wong paced the tournament's No. 1 seed by firing a 3-under 69 on the 7,395-yard, par 72 course. The sophomore from North Vancouver, B.C. played the cleanest round among the Ducks, tallying only one bogey against four birdies. Wong, the co-Golfer of the Year in the Pac-10 this season, is in a ten-way tie for third among individuals, one stroke shy of Jesper Kennegard of Arizona State and Augusta State's Henrik Norlander.
Fellow sophomore Daniel Miernicki also broke par, birdieing his final hole to finish at 2-under. The Santee, Calif. product was even with five holes to play, but rallied with three birdies and one bogey to rank tied for 13th in the 156-man field.
Isaiah Telles joined the red numbers parade with a 71, and Jack Dukeminier scraped together a 2-over 74, battling back from a quadruple bogey on his second hole of the championship. Telles is tied for 25th and Dukeminier is tied for 65th after 18 holes.
Andrew Vijarro was UO's high man with a 76. The sophomore's score was dropped from the team card but he sits in a tie for 103rd overall.
For the second straight year, the first 54 holes will decide an individual champion with the top eight schools at the end of stroke play advancing to match play for the team title over the final three days.
UO's golfers will be among
the first three groups to tee off during Wednesday's second round,
starting at 7 a.m.
DAY 1 QUOTES
Oregon Head Coach Casey Martin
On his team's round today:
"We played well. We got off to a real solid start, so I am pleased. You can't win it today, but you sure can lose it. We were pretty nervous this morning, but the guys have been working hard and wanted to do well. We had a little shaky start from a guy or two, but everyone battled and did well. We finished well in the last couple of holes, which is a great sign."
On the conditions of The Honors Course:
"I like this course for us. We are a pretty accurate team, by-and-large, and you need to be accurate here. We are not the longest team, but hitting longer irons off these fairways - they are so good and so full - it is OK. It is not like playing under firm conditions where long irons are a real disadvantage. From that standpoint, I like for our team, but we've got a long way to go."
Thoughts on The Honors Course:
"I love it. This course is really special. It is one of the best I have ever played or been on. It is a really, really special place. My guys are really enjoying it."
Players Mentioned
