Ducks Open Season at Husky Invitational
09/18/15 | Men's Golf
EUGENE – The Oregon men's golf team will open the 2015 fall season at Tumble Creek Golf Course in Cle Elum, Wash., on Monday where they will compete at the Husky Invitational.
The Ducks will be one of 14 teams competing at the two-day, 54-hole tournament. The Husky Invitational is set to begin on Monday, Sept. 21 with 36 holes of continuous play before the 18-hole final on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The tournament will take place at Tumble Creek's par-71, 7,122-yard course located at Suncadia Resort.
Host: University of Washington
Course: Tumble Creek Golf Course
Par/Yards: Par-71, 7,122 yards
Tee Time: 7:20 a.m. (PT)
Format: Play Five, Score Four
Duck Lineup: Aaron Wise, Andrew Bonner, Thomas Lim, Sulman Raza and Nigel Lett.
Individuals: Zach Foushee, Sam Foust and Edwin Yi
THE FIELD
The Husky Invitational field features three top-25 teams in USC (No. 5), Oregon (No. 15) and host Washington (No. 19), as well as 11 other teams including Washington State, UC-Davis, Utah, Boise State, Gonzaga, Minnesota, Sacramento State, Seattle, BYU, Idaho and Oregon State.
ABOUT THE DUCKS
Oregon returns nine players from a successful 2014-15 campaign that saw the team record five tournament wins, tying them for second overall on the program single-season wins list. The Ducks wrapped up the 2015 season at the NCAA Championships in Bradenton, Fla., where they finished 23rd overall.
Returning contributors Zach Foushee, Nigel Lett, Thomas Lim, Max Carter, Brandon McIver and Aaron Wise will look to lead the Ducks to another successful year, with each having seen action last season. Brandon Baumgarten, Andrew Bonner and Sulman Raza also return to the Duck roster and will look to make an impact on the 2015-16 campaign after redshirting in 2014-15. Oregon adds two newcomers to this season's roster in freshmen Sam Foust and Edwin Yi. The Ducks are led by tenth-year head coach Casey Martin and third-year assistant coach Van Williams.
LAST TIME AT THE HUSKY INVITATIONAL...
Oregon earned the title of co-champions at last year's Husky Invitational. The Ducks carded a one-under 287 final round at Gold Mountain Resort's par-72, 7,168-yard Olympic Course to tie then 10th-ranked UCLA. Lim was the low Duck, following up his first-place performance in 2013 with a 1-under 215 to finish tied for third overall.
Zach Foushee, a junior from West Linn, Ore., tied for sixth at an even-par 216, while McIver, a junior from Billings, Mont., tied for 13th at 3-over 219. Freshman Aaron Wise, from Lake Elsinore, Calif., shot a 5-over 221 to tie for 17th.
UCLA's Jake Knapp was the individual medalist at 7-under 209. It was Knapp's birdie on No. 18 that pushed the Bruins back into a tie with the Ducks.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
The 2015-16 Oregon men's golf roster features two newcomers, freshmen Sam Foust and Edwin Yi. Both will be making their collegiate debuts competing as individuals at the Husky Invitational.
Foust comes to the Ducks from Edina, Minn., where he led Edina High School to one 3A state title as a junior and a second-place finish in the state championship as a senior. Foust was ranked No. 1 in the state in his class and third overall in the state according to Junior Golf Scoreboard.
Yi, a Beaumont, Calif., native entered his senior season with 11 top-15 AJGA finishes to his credit. He competed at this summer's U.S. Amateur against an impressive field of players, including Oregon sophomore Aaron Wise after tying for second at Sectional Qualifying with Thomas Lim.
DUCKS IN THE RANKINGS
The Ducks were slotted at No. 15 in the preseason Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll released last month. Illinois holds possession of the No. 1 spot with LSU, Texas, Florida State and USC rounding out the top five. Oregon is one of six Pac-12 teams to appear in the rankings. Oregon was ranked No. 16 and No. 18 in the final Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, respectively, released last June.
2016 NCAA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS HEADED FOR EUGENE
The University of Oregon was selected to host the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Golf Championships, the NCAA announced on Jan. 14, 2015. The tournament will be played at Eugene Country Club, with the women's championships held May 20-25 and the men's from May 27-June 1. This marks the first time Oregon will host both the men's and women's NCAA golf championships in the same year.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
The Ducks' 2014-15 season was a historic one as the team racked up five tournament victories, tying it for second overall on the all-time program wins list with the 2009-10 team. The 2011-12 team remains the winningest team in Oregon men's golf history with seven tournament wins. The 2014-15 season also saw the Ducks win the most consecutive team championships as they took home four-straight victories at the Husky Invitational, Itani Homes Collegiate, Nike Golf Collegiate Invite and Ka'anapali Classic.
THE SUMMER OF WISE
Oregon sophomore Aaron Wise had an outstanding summer of amateur action this offseason with stellar performances at the Pacific Coast Amateur, Western Amateur and SCGA Amateur. Wise bested a deep field that featured a Pac-12 Player of the Year (Maverick McNealy), Big 12 Player of the Year (Beau Hossler) and an NCAA National Champion (Bryson DeChambeau), among others, to win the Pacific Coast Amateur in July. Wise added to the win with a second-place finish at the SCGA Amateur Championship and an appearance in the match-play finals at the Western Amateur.
LOOKING FORWARD
After the Husky Invitational, the Ducks will head to Valentine, Neb., Sept. 26-28 for The Jackrabbit at The Prairie Club - Dunes Golf Course. The team will return Eugene before making the short trip north to Portland, Ore., to compete at the Nike Golf Intercollegiate at Pumkin Ridge Golf Club from Oct. 4-6, before wrapping up the fall season at The Gifford in San Diego, Calif., Nov. 2-4.
