Wildcat Invitational Up Next For No. 15 Ducks

EUGENE, Ore. - Coming off its fifth top-five showing in six tournaments so far in 2019-20, the No. 15 ranked Oregon women's golf team will return to action on Monday at the Arizona Wildcat Invitational in Tucson, Ariz.

The Ducks will play 36 holes on Monday before wrapping up the 11-team tournament with a final 18-hole round on Tuesday at Sewailo Golf Club.

Tournament Details
Monday, March 9 (36 Holes) - Tuesday, March 10 (18 Holes)
Tucson, Ariz. | Sewailo Golf Club | 54 Holes | Par 72, 6,627 Yards
The Field: Arizona, Colorado, Denver, Fresno State, Iowa State, UNLV, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Long Beach State, Oregon, Tulane

About The Field
At No. 15 in the latest GolfStat national rankings, the Ducks are one of two top-25 teams in the 11-team field at the Wildcat Invitational, along with No. 10 ranked and host school Arizona.

Teeing Off for the Ducks
1. Briana Chacon, Fr.
2. Alexis Phadungmartvorakul, Jr.
3. Sofie Kibsgaard Nielse, Fr.
4. Tze-Han (Heather) Lin, So.
5. Amy Matsuoka, Sr.
Ind. Ching-Tzu Chen, Fr.

Chacon Dazzles at Bruin Wave
Freshman Briana Chacon was stellar at the Bruin Wave Invitational on Feb. 24-25, shooting 1 under across 54 holes to finish fourth overall and lead the Ducks to their fifth top-five showing of the 2019-20 season. Chacon was 4 over through the first 36 holes before firing a tremendous 5-under 67 in the final round, tying the Bruin Wave Invitational single-round record. Chacon racked up six birdies in the final round and 12 for the tournament, tied for second-most by any player in the 12-team field. Junior Alexis Phadungmartvorakul also played well in her first spring tournament, finishing in a tie for 11th overall at 6 over. Oregon tied for third at 18 over and had the low round across the final 18 holes with a 2-over 290.

Nielsen a top-20 Machine
Freshman Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen has been nothing if not consistent so far as a Duck, posting six straight top-20 finishes to open her collegiate career. No. 38 in the latest Golfstat individual rankings, Nielsen leads the Ducks with 59 birdies so far this season while posting a team-best 72.72 scoring average.

Familiar Territory
Head coach Derek Radley will be in familiar territory in Tucson, where he spent six years as an assistant with Arizona. Radley helped lead the Wildcats to the 2018 national championship before making the move to Eugene.

Last Year In Tucson
The Ducks performed well at the Wildcat Invitational last season, finishing second overall behind a top-five finish from the now-graduated Petra Salko. Amy Matsuoka earned a top-15 finish at 7 over, and Alexis Phadungmartvorakul ended the event strong with an even-par 72 in the final round. Derek Radley also came away with a win over his former team.

Young Ducks Impress in Fall
The Ducks boast a young squad in the second season under head coach Derek Radley and assistant Monica Vaugh, with a roster made up of three freshmen, two sophomores, one junior and one senior. But Oregon's talent came to the forefront during the fall season as the Ducks finished in the top five in all four tournaments, including runner-up showings at both the WSU Cougar Invitational and the Molly Collegiate Invite. Freshman Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen led the way with a 72.50 scoring average and four top-five finishes, getting her career off to a solid start after coming to Oregon as the 174th ranked amateur in the world out of Denmark.

Up Next
Oregon will return to Arizona for the Ping/ASU Invitational on March 27-29 in Phoenix.