Ducks Finish Third, Advance to NCAA Championships

Wednesday, May 10

Lubbock, Texas

All Day

University of Oregon

NCAA Regionals

05/10/17 | Women's Golf

Results Golfstat Scoring

OREGON RECORDED ITS BEST ROUND OF THE WEEK ON WEDNESDAY TO FINISH THIRD AT THE LUBBOCK NCAA REGIONAL AND ADVANCE TO THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR

By: Nate Krueger

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Oregon women's golf team advanced to its second straight NCAA Championships after firing a 4-under 284 on Wednesday to finish the Lubbock NCAA Regional in third place at The Rawls Course.

The Ducks (294-289-284—867, +3) earned one of the six bids out of Lubbock to the NCAA Championships in Sugar Grove, Ill., and they will be one of 24 total teams to compete at Rich Harvest Farms starting on May 19. Oregon is joined by Arizona State (-22), Furman (-1), Texas (+5), host Texas Tech (+9) and Kent State (+11) out of the Lubbock Regional.

The Ducks' third-place finish in the NCAA Regionals is the best in program history.

How it Happened: Entering the final day of the 54-hole regional in a tie for third place and with a nine-hole cushion above the cut line, the Ducks took no chances of falling out of the top six with a tremendous start to the round.

All five Ducks recorded at least one birdie in the first four holes of the day, and no Duck was worse than 1-over par going through the turn. After a group of bogies in the middle of the back nine, Oregon finished strong and punched its ticket to the NCAA Championships with its best 18-hole total of the week. All four counting scores for the Ducks on Wednesday came in at even-par or better.

Marcella Pranovia finished as the top Duck on the board in a tie for ninth overall at 1-under par. After matching the best score of her career with a 5-under 67 on Tuesday, Pranovia shot an even-par 72 in the final round to complete a terrific showing in Lubbock. The senior was 1 over on the front nine before going 1 under on the back nine to get back to even.

Fellow senior Cathleen Santoso wrapped up her final NCAA Regionals one stroke behind Pranovia at even-par across 54 holes, and matched Pranovia's 72 on Wednesday. The Sydney, Australia, native got her final round off to a booming start with three birdies on her first three holes. Santoso ended the regional in 12th place overall, highlighted by her 3-under 69 to lead the Ducks in the opening round on Monday.

Junior Kelsey Ulep put together the best round of the day for Oregon to help clinch the bid for the Ducks, firing a 3-under 69 to close the week in a tie for 17th at 2 over. After three pars to start her round, Ulep had three birdies in a four-hole span to go 2 under on the front nine before shooting 1 under on the back nine.

Sophomore Kathleen Scavo rounded out the counting scores for the Ducks in a tie for 30th overall at 5 over. Scavo put together yet another strong finish for Oregon in the final round, finishing with a 1-under 71 after going 2 under across her first nine holes. Closing out the Oregon lineup was sophomore Petra Salko in a tie for 41st at 8 over. Salko shot a 2-over 75 to finish up the tournament.

What it Means: The Ducks advance to their second straight NCAA Championships, and 10th in program history. Oregon will head to Sugar Grove, Ill., looking to build off their performance in last year's NCAA Championships, where they reached the quarterfinals and ended tied for fifth for the best finish in program history. Head coach Ria Scott, now in her eighth season, has guided the Ducks to four NCAA Championship appearances.

Advancing Teams:
1. Arizona State (293-277-272—842, -22)
2. Furman (300-283-280—863, -1)
3. Oregon (294-289-284—867, +3)
4. Texas (300-289-380—869, +5)
5. Texas Tech (296-286-291—873, +9)
6. Kent State (305-287-283—875, +11_

Ducks on the Leaderboard:
T9. Marcella Pranovia (76-67-72—215, -1)
12. Cathleen Santoso (69-75-72—216, E)
T17. Kelsey Ulep (76-73-69—218, +2)
T30. Kathleen Scavo (74-76-71—221, +5)
T41. Petra Salko (75-74-75—223, +8)

Notable: Pranovia finished at 9 under on par-5 holes, the best in the field, while Santoso was second at 6 under … The Ducks led the field in par-5 scoring at 21 under … Pranovia and Santoso each finished with 12 birdies to lead the team.

Up Next: The Ducks will head to Sugar Grove for the NCAA Championships, which begin May 19 with four rounds of stroke play. The top eight teams will then advance into match play to determine the national champion, with the title match set to be played on May 24.