Radley, Ducks Open 2019 Season Monday

EUGENE, Ore. - Head coach Derek Radley's first fall season couldn't have ended much better.

Freshman Tze-Han Lin stood oceanside in Hawaii, holding up the Pac-12 Preview trophy after tying for first place. The Ducks had finished in fifth, 1-over par and just six shots back of reigning NCAA champion Arizona. With the strong showing, Oregon jumped almost 20 spots in the national rankings to No. 38.

"We made huge progress in the fall," Radley said. "Tze-Han had a big win to end it. We're really trying to use that momentum to kick off the spring."

Lin averaged a 71.00 in four fall tournaments, best on the team. She showed a great all-around game, shooting under par on both par-3s (2.87) and par-5s (4.73) in 11 rounds. Her fall success wasn't shocking to Radley, in his first season as the Ducks' head coach.

"Her maturity is just incredible," Radley said. "She is one of the nicest, most respectful and happiest young women I've ever been around."

Lin shows an edge on the golf course that also belies her age, one which many great athletes possess.

"Tze-Han has one goal, to play professional golf," Radley said. "You can see that drive every day, she is very focused when she's on the course. Sometimes she's too hard on herself, but I don't want to take away that competitive edge. That's going to take her further in this game than anything else."

First year head coaches often face a difficult rebuilding process. But Radley's squad has fantastic balance. Along with Lin, the Ducks boast two talented seniors in Petra Salko and Kathleen Scavo.

Salko was an academic All-American a season ago after playing in all 11 tournaments. She posted a 74.35 scoring average, good for second best on the team. This fall, Salko had a team-high 37 birdies with a 72.45 average round. Scavo was a Pac-12 all-academic selection last year. She also competed in all 11 tournaments for the Ducks, posting a team-best 73.32 scoring average. At 22nd, Scavo was Oregon's top finisher at NCAA regionals in San Francisco.

"I am beyond thankful for my two seniors," Radley said. "They are so engaged and want to succeed so much. They've become very close over their four years here and they want to make this season successful. They are wonderful, wonderful leaders and we wouldn't be where we are as a team without them."

Amy Matsuoka is back for her junior season after being a Pac-12 all-academic pick as a sophomore. Matsuoka was fourth on the roster last year with a 75.13 scoring average. She averaged a 73.63 in the fall.

"At our team retreat over the winter in Bend, we did personal vision boards," Radley said. "Amy was interesting, because she got up in front of the room and talked about how dedicated she is to this program and her teammates. She is really committed to excellence for this team. I was so proud of her. Amy is putting in the work to help this team in the spring. She is a really reliable player and a person I can trust in the thick of it."

Alexis Phadungmartvorakul also returns from last season. The sophomore played in all four tournaments for the Ducks in the fall, averaging a 77.09.

Radley envisions a similar spring lineup, with Lin, Salko, Scavo and Matsuoka joining Phadungmartvorakul. But that won't be set in stone. Sophomore Madi Daniel is back from a fall wrist injury and hitting the ball hard. Radley also has two other freshmen, Bella Setio and Simar Singh, working to make their mark this spring.

"Our lineup is subject to change, there is a lot of competition on this team," Radley added. "There will be opportunities for everyone to show what they've got during the week to earn a spot in the lineup."