Wednesday, April 19
Phoenix, AZ
All Day
University of Oregon
vs
Pac-12 Championships
Photo by: Zac BonDurant zacbondurantphoto.com All Rights Reserved
Nagano Leads Ducks To Pac-12 Runner-Up Finish
04/19/23 | Women's Golf
PHOENIX — A stellar round by junior Minori Nagano led the Oregon women's golf team to a second-place finish at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships on Wednesday at Papago Golf Course.
The No. 9 Ducks entered the final round in fourth place and six strokes off the lead before firing a 6-under 282 in the final round, fueled by a career-best 6-under 66 from Nagano. Oregon leapfrogged Arizona and bested No. 1 Stanford by one stroke, but came up short in chasing down No. 14 USC for a second straight Pac-12 title.
"I couldn't be more proud of this group," head coach Derek Radley said. "To come out here and shoot 6 under in the final round is really impressive, and we fought all the way to the end. This week was a huge confidence boost for our team and I can't wait to see what the rest of this season holds as we move forward into NCAAs."
Nagano's 6-under 66 was the best round by any player in the field this week, and one stroke shy of matching the Pac-12 Championships single-round record. Nagano was one of four Ducks to receive all-Pac-12 recognition following the tournament, earning honorable mention along with Briana Chacon while both Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu and Ashleigh Park landed on the first team.
"What an unbelievable day for Minori. We've known what she's capable of since she arrived at Oregon, and today she really proved it to herself. She has been a winner her whole career and is going to be so important to our team moving forward. She really came through for us today."
How it Happened: The Ducks jumped from fourth to second with a stellar front nine, making 10 total birdies and just six bogeys to move in front of Arizona and Stanford. Oregon shot a combined 1-under par on the back nine – by far its best performance of the week on the more challenging half of the course – and never relinquished second place, but USC avoided any major mistakes and maintained its lead to claim the team title.
Nagano was bogey-free on the way to her 6-under 66, the best round by a Duck this season and tied for eighth-best individual round vs. par in program history. The junior opened her day with six straight pars before closing the front nine with birdies at No. 7 and No. 9, and she stayed hot with three birdies in the first four holes to open the back nine.
That stretch of five birdies in seven holes got Nagano to 5 under, and she made four straight pars before closing with a birdie on No. 18.
Nagano was the biggest riser on the individual leaderboard, moving up 21 spots to finish as the top Duck in a tie for third overall at 4-under par. Stanford's Rose Zhang – the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world and reigning NCAA individual champion – claimed the individual title at 12-under par.
Freshman Anika Varma capped a terrific Pac-12 Championships debut with an even-par 72, making a birdie at No. 18 to secure sole possession of second place for Oregon over Stanford after Zhang made par. Varma earned her best career finish in a tie for ninth at 2 under, her third straight top-15 showing since being inserted into the lineup.
Chacon and Ching-Tzu Chen matched Varma with even-par 72s to round out the counting scores, and Lu was right behind with a 1-over 73. Chacon (T-11) and Lu (T-17) gave Oregon four players in the individual top 20.
What it Means: After three straight finishes outside the top five to close the regular season, Oregon's performance in Phoenix is a huge boost as the Ducks prepare for the NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships. The Ducks came just short in their effort to defend last season's Pac-12 title, but finished in the top two of the conference tournament for just the third time in program history. The emergence of Nagano and Varma is particularly encouraging, with the experienced trio of Lu, Chacon and Chen back from last year's NCAA runner-up squad. Oregon is also expected to get back junior Ashleigh Park, who has been the team's top performer this season but has been dealing with a minor injury late in the season.
Notable: Lu becomes the first three-time, first-team all-Pac-12 selection in program history … Oregon shot 11-under par on par-5 holes and 2 over on par-4s, second only to USC in both categories … UO finished third in the field with 42 total birdies … Varma made 40 total pars, tied for third-most in the field … Nagano's six-birdie day gave her 10 for the week, most among Ducks.
Team Leaderboard:
1. #14 USC – 279-289-281 – 849 (-15)
2. #9 Oregon – 288-286-282 (-8)
3. #1 Stanford – 287-284-286 – 857 (-7)
4. Arizona – 282-286-297 – 865 (+1)
5. #11 Arizona State – 290-286-295 – 871 (+7)
6. California – 288-293-295 – 876 (+12)
7. Oregon State – 292-291-296 – 879 (+15)
8. UCLA – 296-298-287 – 881 (+17)
9. Washington – 294-291-303 – 888 (+24)
10. Washington State – 297-293-303 – 893 (+29)
11. Colorado – 297-298-302 – 897 (+14)
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
T3. Minori Nagano – 74-72-66 – 212 (-4)
T9. Anika Varma – 70-72-72 – 214 (-2)
T11. Briana Chacon – 71-72-72 – 215 (-1)
T17. Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu – 73-70-73 – 216 (E)
T34. Ching-Tzu Chen – 75-78-72 – 225 (+9)
Up Next: Oregon will learn its NCAA Regionals destination during a selection show on Golf Channel on Wednesday, April 26, at 10 a.m. PT.
The No. 9 Ducks entered the final round in fourth place and six strokes off the lead before firing a 6-under 282 in the final round, fueled by a career-best 6-under 66 from Nagano. Oregon leapfrogged Arizona and bested No. 1 Stanford by one stroke, but came up short in chasing down No. 14 USC for a second straight Pac-12 title.
"I couldn't be more proud of this group," head coach Derek Radley said. "To come out here and shoot 6 under in the final round is really impressive, and we fought all the way to the end. This week was a huge confidence boost for our team and I can't wait to see what the rest of this season holds as we move forward into NCAAs."
Nagano's 6-under 66 was the best round by any player in the field this week, and one stroke shy of matching the Pac-12 Championships single-round record. Nagano was one of four Ducks to receive all-Pac-12 recognition following the tournament, earning honorable mention along with Briana Chacon while both Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu and Ashleigh Park landed on the first team.
"What an unbelievable day for Minori. We've known what she's capable of since she arrived at Oregon, and today she really proved it to herself. She has been a winner her whole career and is going to be so important to our team moving forward. She really came through for us today."
How it Happened: The Ducks jumped from fourth to second with a stellar front nine, making 10 total birdies and just six bogeys to move in front of Arizona and Stanford. Oregon shot a combined 1-under par on the back nine – by far its best performance of the week on the more challenging half of the course – and never relinquished second place, but USC avoided any major mistakes and maintained its lead to claim the team title.
Nagano was bogey-free on the way to her 6-under 66, the best round by a Duck this season and tied for eighth-best individual round vs. par in program history. The junior opened her day with six straight pars before closing the front nine with birdies at No. 7 and No. 9, and she stayed hot with three birdies in the first four holes to open the back nine.
That stretch of five birdies in seven holes got Nagano to 5 under, and she made four straight pars before closing with a birdie on No. 18.
Nagano was the biggest riser on the individual leaderboard, moving up 21 spots to finish as the top Duck in a tie for third overall at 4-under par. Stanford's Rose Zhang – the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world and reigning NCAA individual champion – claimed the individual title at 12-under par.
Freshman Anika Varma capped a terrific Pac-12 Championships debut with an even-par 72, making a birdie at No. 18 to secure sole possession of second place for Oregon over Stanford after Zhang made par. Varma earned her best career finish in a tie for ninth at 2 under, her third straight top-15 showing since being inserted into the lineup.
Chacon and Ching-Tzu Chen matched Varma with even-par 72s to round out the counting scores, and Lu was right behind with a 1-over 73. Chacon (T-11) and Lu (T-17) gave Oregon four players in the individual top 20.
What it Means: After three straight finishes outside the top five to close the regular season, Oregon's performance in Phoenix is a huge boost as the Ducks prepare for the NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships. The Ducks came just short in their effort to defend last season's Pac-12 title, but finished in the top two of the conference tournament for just the third time in program history. The emergence of Nagano and Varma is particularly encouraging, with the experienced trio of Lu, Chacon and Chen back from last year's NCAA runner-up squad. Oregon is also expected to get back junior Ashleigh Park, who has been the team's top performer this season but has been dealing with a minor injury late in the season.
Notable: Lu becomes the first three-time, first-team all-Pac-12 selection in program history … Oregon shot 11-under par on par-5 holes and 2 over on par-4s, second only to USC in both categories … UO finished third in the field with 42 total birdies … Varma made 40 total pars, tied for third-most in the field … Nagano's six-birdie day gave her 10 for the week, most among Ducks.
Team Leaderboard:
1. #14 USC – 279-289-281 – 849 (-15)
2. #9 Oregon – 288-286-282 (-8)
3. #1 Stanford – 287-284-286 – 857 (-7)
4. Arizona – 282-286-297 – 865 (+1)
5. #11 Arizona State – 290-286-295 – 871 (+7)
6. California – 288-293-295 – 876 (+12)
7. Oregon State – 292-291-296 – 879 (+15)
8. UCLA – 296-298-287 – 881 (+17)
9. Washington – 294-291-303 – 888 (+24)
10. Washington State – 297-293-303 – 893 (+29)
11. Colorado – 297-298-302 – 897 (+14)
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
T3. Minori Nagano – 74-72-66 – 212 (-4)
T9. Anika Varma – 70-72-72 – 214 (-2)
T11. Briana Chacon – 71-72-72 – 215 (-1)
T17. Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu – 73-70-73 – 216 (E)
T34. Ching-Tzu Chen – 75-78-72 – 225 (+9)
Up Next: Oregon will learn its NCAA Regionals destination during a selection show on Golf Channel on Wednesday, April 26, at 10 a.m. PT.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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