University of Oregon
NCAA Championships
No. 1 Ducks Qualify for Match Play
06/04/10 | Men's Golf
*Click HERE to see a photo gallery of third round pix.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The top-ranked University of Oregon men's golf team qualified as one of eight teams for the match play portion of the 2010 NCAA Championships, placing fifth during the 54-holes of stroke play at The Honors Course.
The Ducks, who began the day on the outside looking in, fired a 5-under 283 to safely garner one of the coveted spots for the single-elimination showdown that commences Friday. Oregon will place fourth-place Washington with the winner advancing to the final four on Saturday.
Eugene Wong was UO's top finisher, tying for ninth overall at 4-under 212. The Pac-10's co-Golfer of the Year shot 71 in the final round on the 7,395-yard course.
Oregon received the biggest boost in Round 3 from junior Jack Dukeminier, who carded a 6-under 66, tying the competition course record. The Eugene native fought back to even par for the tournament, finishing tied for 34th and ranking second among his teammates.
Isaiah Telles also played well with the pressure on, shooting even-par on the round to tie for 51st at 2-over 218. Andrew Vijarro was 2-over for his day and 5-over for the championships, and UO's No. 1 Daniel Miernicki shot 75 to finish at 9-over 225.
Oklahoma State will be the top seed in match play after a 54-hole total of 14-under 850. Illinois junior Scott Langley won medalist honors at 10-under 206.
Florida State (-10, 854) and Georgia Tech (-6, 858) are the second and third seeds, respectively. Augusta State (-1, 863) is No. 6 and Texas Tech (+3, 867) is No. 7.
Stanford, Arizona State and San Diego will have a playoff on Friday morning to determine the eighth and final seed for match play. The three schools had identical marks of 4-over 868.
DAY 3 QUOTES
Oregon Head Coach Casey Martin
On the team's play today:
"They really played great today. They gutted it out. Nothing comes easy and we let a lot go at the end, but to get into the match play here after a tough day yesterday just shows a lot of character. I am ecstatic for them. This was one of our big goals - to make match play and have that experience. It is going to be a lot of fun."
Oregon Junior Jack Dukeminier
On tying the course record with a 6-under 66:
"I wasn't thinking about it. It feels good, but I was looking to score all day to make sure the team did well. I birdied my first three holes. I was felling good all day. I hit it maybe better than I ever have today. It just seems like I hit it close almost every hole. It could have been a lot lower, honestly. I didn't putt great."
Players Mentioned
