Wednesday, May 16
Stockton, CA
TBD
University of Oregon
vs
NCAA Regionals
Photo by: Keith Colgan
Ducks Advance to NCAA Championships, Xiong Gets Sixth Win
05/16/18 | Men's Golf
STOCKTON, Calif. – Oregon came storming back from three strokes outside of the top five to finish fifth and clinch a spot in the NCAA Championships, shooting 8-under par in the final round of the Stockton Regional Wednesday at The Reserve at Spanos Park. This will be the fifth consecutive year that the Ducks will play in the NCAA Championships.
Norman Xiong continued his incredible season, claiming medalist honors for the sixth time and fourth in the last five tournaments, finishing at 15 under after shooting a 6-under 66. Ryan Gronlund gave the Ducks a huge boost, also firing a 6-under 66 to move finish in a tie for 12th.
How it Happened: Xiong finished one shot ahead of Stanford's Brandon Wu, but the two traded punches all throughout their second nine. A bogey on the second hole put Xiong a shot behind Wu, but a birdie at the third put him back in a tie atop the leaderboard. He made three straight birdies at holes six, seven and eight to take a one-shot lead into the final hole. Xiong made par at the ninth hole to hold off Wu and clinch medalist honors.
Xiong could not have gotten off to a better start, making birdie on 10 before an eagle from just off the green on 11 pushed him to 12 under for the tournament. He gave a shot back with a bogey at the 12th hole but bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 16th to shoot a 3-under 33 on his opening nine.
Gronlund came out scorching hot on his first nine, shooting a 7-under 29 on the back. He birdied the par-5 11th hole before making three straight birdies at holes 13 through 15 and made eagle at 16 to reach 6 under. Gronlund birdied 18 to close his opening nine before making five pars to begin his second nine. He got to 8 under with a birdie at the par-5 sixth hole, but dropped back to 6 under after a double bogey at seven.
Edwin Yi turned in a steady even-par round of 72. He struggled a bit on his opening nine, shooting a 2-over 38 on the back, but made a pair of birdies along with seven pars to shoot 2 under on the front nine to finish 3 over for the tournament.
Kevin Geniza and Donald Kay both shot rounds of 4-over 76. Geniza shot 5 over on his opening nine but closed with a 1-under 35, making an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole before bogeying the ninth. Kay turned in a 4-over 40 on the back nine but came back with a steady even-par 36 on the front.
Quotable: Head coach Casey Martin
On the final round…
"It was an epic day. Ryan shooting 29 (on his opening nine) when we needed it so badly. Edwin shooting 2 under on his second nine and Kevin and Donald hanging in there to help the team. And obviously Norman. Wow. Six wins. He is just incredible."
How the Ducks Finished:
5. Oregon – 289-283-280 – 852 (-12)
1. Norman Xiong – 68-67-66 – 201 (-15)
T13. Ryan Gronlund – 72-74-66 – 212 (-4)
T45. Edwin Yi – 75-72-72 – 219 (+3)
T56. Kevin Geniza – 74-72-76 – 224 (+6)
71. Donald Kay – 80-72-76 – 230 (+12)
Notable: Oregon will be appearing in the NCAA Championships for the 30th time … Xiong extended his program single-season record with his sixth victory … He won for the seventh time in his career, also an Oregon record … Xiong has shot in the 60s in 22 of his 34 rounds this season … Gronlund set a new career-low nine-hole score with his 29 on the back nine … He also matched his career-low for a round … Martin will take an Oregon team to the NCAA Championships for the ninth time in his 12 years as Ducks head coach.
Up Next: The Ducks will head to Stillwater, Okla. for the NCAA Championships May 25-30 at Karsten Creek Golf Club.
Norman Xiong continued his incredible season, claiming medalist honors for the sixth time and fourth in the last five tournaments, finishing at 15 under after shooting a 6-under 66. Ryan Gronlund gave the Ducks a huge boost, also firing a 6-under 66 to move finish in a tie for 12th.
How it Happened: Xiong finished one shot ahead of Stanford's Brandon Wu, but the two traded punches all throughout their second nine. A bogey on the second hole put Xiong a shot behind Wu, but a birdie at the third put him back in a tie atop the leaderboard. He made three straight birdies at holes six, seven and eight to take a one-shot lead into the final hole. Xiong made par at the ninth hole to hold off Wu and clinch medalist honors.
Xiong could not have gotten off to a better start, making birdie on 10 before an eagle from just off the green on 11 pushed him to 12 under for the tournament. He gave a shot back with a bogey at the 12th hole but bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 16th to shoot a 3-under 33 on his opening nine.
Gronlund came out scorching hot on his first nine, shooting a 7-under 29 on the back. He birdied the par-5 11th hole before making three straight birdies at holes 13 through 15 and made eagle at 16 to reach 6 under. Gronlund birdied 18 to close his opening nine before making five pars to begin his second nine. He got to 8 under with a birdie at the par-5 sixth hole, but dropped back to 6 under after a double bogey at seven.
Edwin Yi turned in a steady even-par round of 72. He struggled a bit on his opening nine, shooting a 2-over 38 on the back, but made a pair of birdies along with seven pars to shoot 2 under on the front nine to finish 3 over for the tournament.
Kevin Geniza and Donald Kay both shot rounds of 4-over 76. Geniza shot 5 over on his opening nine but closed with a 1-under 35, making an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole before bogeying the ninth. Kay turned in a 4-over 40 on the back nine but came back with a steady even-par 36 on the front.
Quotable: Head coach Casey Martin
On the final round…
"It was an epic day. Ryan shooting 29 (on his opening nine) when we needed it so badly. Edwin shooting 2 under on his second nine and Kevin and Donald hanging in there to help the team. And obviously Norman. Wow. Six wins. He is just incredible."
How the Ducks Finished:
5. Oregon – 289-283-280 – 852 (-12)
1. Norman Xiong – 68-67-66 – 201 (-15)
T13. Ryan Gronlund – 72-74-66 – 212 (-4)
T45. Edwin Yi – 75-72-72 – 219 (+3)
T56. Kevin Geniza – 74-72-76 – 224 (+6)
71. Donald Kay – 80-72-76 – 230 (+12)
Notable: Oregon will be appearing in the NCAA Championships for the 30th time … Xiong extended his program single-season record with his sixth victory … He won for the seventh time in his career, also an Oregon record … Xiong has shot in the 60s in 22 of his 34 rounds this season … Gronlund set a new career-low nine-hole score with his 29 on the back nine … He also matched his career-low for a round … Martin will take an Oregon team to the NCAA Championships for the ninth time in his 12 years as Ducks head coach.
Up Next: The Ducks will head to Stillwater, Okla. for the NCAA Championships May 25-30 at Karsten Creek Golf Club.
Players Mentioned
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