Friday, May 26
Scottsdale, AZ
All Day
University of Oregon
at
NCAA Championships
Leach's Ace Headlines Day One
05/26/23 | Men's Golf
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – A hole-in-one by sophomore Greyson Leach highlighted day one of the 2023 NCAA Championships for the Oregon men's golf team on Friday at Grahawk Golf Club.
Leach aced the par-3 16th hole en route to an even-par 70, the best individual round of the day for the No. 19 Ducks. Oregon closed round one in a tie for 23rd overall after finishing with a 12-over 292. No. 11 Georgia Tech leads the 30-team field at even par.
The Ducks started fast and even led the field early on the front nine at 3-under par, but ran into some trouble on holes 5-9. Oregon teed off in the afternoon wave of the opening round and was forced to deal with the Arizona heat – which resulted in firm greens – and swirling winds.
"This course and the way it's set up, it kind of hits you in the mouth a little bit," head coach Casey Martin said. "We got off to a great start and then we had just a really tough stretch on the front which I think rocked their confidence a little bit. But to their credit, they hung in there. Even though we didn't have a great round, we're still in striking range so hopefully in the morning tomorrow with a little bit easier conditions we can make some birdies and get going."
How it Happened: Leach was 2-over par when he walked up to the 16th hole, a tough 173-yard par-3 that saw just 14 players make birdie on in the opening round. After multiple players in front went long with 8-irons, assistant coach Jeff Quinney advised Leach to pull a 9-iron.
"It ended up going really well," Leach said with a chuckle. "It just one-hopped in. To do that at the national championship is something else. It hasn't really set in yet, but it was something special."
Senior Owen Avrit overcame a tough front nine to shoot even on the back and come in with a 3-over 73, his 34th counting score in 34 rounds this season. Freshman Aiden Krafft was even on the front before finishing with a 4-over 74, and junior Greg Solhaug rounded out the counting scores with a 5-over 75.
Notable: Leach was one of just two players in the field to make an eagle, and the only one with an ace … Krafft led the Ducks with three birdies, all coming on the front nine … Leach opened his round with back-to-back birdies.
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
T23. Oregon – 292 (+12)
T19. Greyson Leach – 70 (E)
T70. Owen Avrit – 73 (+3)
T88. Aiden Krafft – 74 (+4)
T105. Greg Solhauh – 75 (+5)
T130. Nate Stember – 77 (+7)
Up Next: Oregon will look to take advantage of more favorable conditions in the morning wave on Saturday, teeing off beginning at 7:27 a.m. off of hole No. 10.
Leach aced the par-3 16th hole en route to an even-par 70, the best individual round of the day for the No. 19 Ducks. Oregon closed round one in a tie for 23rd overall after finishing with a 12-over 292. No. 11 Georgia Tech leads the 30-team field at even par.
The Ducks started fast and even led the field early on the front nine at 3-under par, but ran into some trouble on holes 5-9. Oregon teed off in the afternoon wave of the opening round and was forced to deal with the Arizona heat – which resulted in firm greens – and swirling winds.
"This course and the way it's set up, it kind of hits you in the mouth a little bit," head coach Casey Martin said. "We got off to a great start and then we had just a really tough stretch on the front which I think rocked their confidence a little bit. But to their credit, they hung in there. Even though we didn't have a great round, we're still in striking range so hopefully in the morning tomorrow with a little bit easier conditions we can make some birdies and get going."
How it Happened: Leach was 2-over par when he walked up to the 16th hole, a tough 173-yard par-3 that saw just 14 players make birdie on in the opening round. After multiple players in front went long with 8-irons, assistant coach Jeff Quinney advised Leach to pull a 9-iron.
"It ended up going really well," Leach said with a chuckle. "It just one-hopped in. To do that at the national championship is something else. It hasn't really set in yet, but it was something special."
The ace got Leach back to even par, and he finished strong with pars on each of the final two holes to shoot 1 under on the back nine and come in with a 70. He is tied for 19th overall at even par, with Georgia Tech's Ross Steelman leading the field at 6-under par.It's in the hole! ??
— Oregon Men's Golf (@OregonMGolf) May 27, 2023
Great look at Greyson Leach's first ACE as a Duck on No. 16 at @GrayhawkGolf ??#GoDucks x #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/megbnquXjf
Senior Owen Avrit overcame a tough front nine to shoot even on the back and come in with a 3-over 73, his 34th counting score in 34 rounds this season. Freshman Aiden Krafft was even on the front before finishing with a 4-over 74, and junior Greg Solhaug rounded out the counting scores with a 5-over 75.
Notable: Leach was one of just two players in the field to make an eagle, and the only one with an ace … Krafft led the Ducks with three birdies, all coming on the front nine … Leach opened his round with back-to-back birdies.
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
T23. Oregon – 292 (+12)
T19. Greyson Leach – 70 (E)
T70. Owen Avrit – 73 (+3)
T88. Aiden Krafft – 74 (+4)
T105. Greg Solhauh – 75 (+5)
T130. Nate Stember – 77 (+7)
Up Next: Oregon will look to take advantage of more favorable conditions in the morning wave on Saturday, teeing off beginning at 7:27 a.m. off of hole No. 10.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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