Ducks, Raza Claim Duck Invitational Wins

Tuesday, March 28

Eugene, Ore.

All Day

University of Oregon

Duck Invitational

03/28/17 | Men's Golf, @GoDucksMoseley

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Oregon outplayed the field by 18 strokes over two days at Eugene Country Club, and senior Sulman Raza clinched medalist honors Tuesday.

By: Rob Moseley

Eugene Country Club continues to generate low scores and heady moments for the Oregon men's golf team.

Less than a year after winning the NCAA team championship on their home course, the Ducks outplayed the rest of the field by 18 strokes to win the two-day, three-round Duck Invitational. Oregon players filled five of the top six places individually, with senior and Eugene native Sulman Raza winning medalist honors while playing as an individual.

Raza, who made the putt that clinched the national title for the Ducks last spring, wasn't in Oregon's starting five this week. But he will be when the team travels to Santa Cruz, Calif., next week for the Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club.

"You win a tournament, you earn a starting spot," UO coach Casey Martin said, whose squad claimed Duck Invitational team and individual wins for the first time since 2013, when Jonathan Woo led the UO men to victory.

Raza led the field by seven shots entering Tuesday's final round, after shooting 11-under 131 over two rounds Monday. The fifth-year senior shot 3 over Tuesday, recovering from a stretch of three bogeys in four holes to finish with eight consecutive pars. Raza's winning score was 67-64-74—205, and the Ducks as a team shot 8-under 283-277-284—844, 18 shots better than runner-up Arizona.

UO senior and No. 1-ranked collegiate player Wyndham Clark shot 2 under Tuesday and finished second individually at 5-under 208. His freshman teammate Norman Xiong was third, one shot back, sophomore Edwin Yi was fifth at 2 under overall and Nigel Lett — also playing as an individual — was sixth at 1 under. Brad Reeves of Arizona was the only non-UO player in the top six, finishing fourth at 3-under 210.

"We got another one," said Martin, whose fifth-ranked Ducks won their third straight tournament and fourth in five events this season. "We've been off to an amazing start. So that part's fun and satisfying. But Sulman was definitely the special part of this week."

Raza's 11-under day Monday was fueled by a hot streak with his putter that didn't carry over into Tuesday. He admitted being nervous to start the third and final round, but finished with his confidence intact after the run of pars to end the tournament.

That's a big change from the fall, when Raza was mired in a rough patch following his unforgettable putt to clinch the NCAA team championship last spring.

"That was a big high for me, something I've never experienced," Raza said. "I think there was a lot of expectations, from myself and from other people. I didn't know how to handle that. Now that that's past, I think now I can settle in, take the positives from this week and translate them forward to the rest of the season."

The Ducks leave Wednesday for The Goodwin hosted by Stanford, for which their lineup — without Raza — was set prior to the start of the Duck Invitational. But he'll be with the team for the tournament at Pasatiempo next week, after playing himself out of his struggles in the summer and fall.

"I was a player; I've had some of those moments too where it's like, gosh, is this gonna end — and then it does," Martin said. "And it did for him. Hopefully this is a sign he's back and better. …

"It's exciting for me, because we do need him. He's a guy that's won; not many kids win college golf tournaments, and he's won before. And obviously he made the putt to win a tournament. So for him to show signs that he's back and better is really, really awesome."

Adding a tournament-tested senior like Raza would be a luxury for the Ducks, whose last two tournament wins are by double-digit strokes. Not only is Clark the top-ranked player in the country, but Xiong is No. 8. Yi is the only veteran of last year's NCAA Tournament top-five currently in the starting lineup, though Raza will join him as of next week.

A month out from the start of this year's championship season, the Ducks are poised to mount a stout defense of their team title. Clark threatened to catch Raza late Tuesday, barely missing eagle chances at No. 15 and No. 16, despite not feeling completely comfortable with his game.

"Once I put it all together, it's going to be really fun," Clark said. "Then I think I'll really start doing well in tournaments. There's definitely confidence in that, and knowing that when my game's off, I can still compete and have a chance to win."

This year's national championships are in Illinois, so the Ducks won't have the luxury of playing for the NCAA title on their home course. But for a couple days this week, they got to experience again the glow of victory generated at Eugene Country Club.

"Coming to this course brings up a lot of memories," Yi said. "Winning the national championship, there's nothing better. So every time we come here, we always get goosebumps. To win here again, it's pretty special."