Ducks Fall Just Short in Championship Match

Wednesday, October 23

Nichols Hills, Okla.

All Day

University of Oregon

Arkansas

Photo by: Dean Hare/WSU Photo Services

10/23/24 | Women's Golf

Results

NICHOLS HILLS, Okla. — The Oregon women's golf team came up just short in the championship match of the 2024 Jackson T. Stephens Cup on Wednesday, dropping a 3-2 decision to No. 1 ranked Arkansas at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club.

After finishing first in stroke play on Tuesday to earn the top seed in match play, the No. 13 ranked Ducks put two points on the board from sophomores Darae Chung and Karen Tsuru. The match came down to sophomore Kiara Romero, who was tied through 17 holes before Arkansas' Natalie Blonien made a lengthy birdie putt on the 18^th to clinch the win.

"I'm extremely proud of the way our team performed this week," head coach Derek Radley said. "This tournament gave our girls a great taste of what a national championship setting is like, and the experience is going to be really valuable for us as we move through the season. We're thankful for the opportunity and grateful for everyone who worked so hard to put on such a great event."

How it Happened: After performing well in stroke play in her first tournament as a Duck, Chung was Oregon's most dominant player on Wednesday. Going up against Arkansas' Reagan Zibilski, Chung was 2 down through six holes before winning five consecutive holes to get to 3 up through 11. She gained another hole at No. 14 to get to 4 up, and then matched pars on the 15^th to win, 4&3.

Tsuru was 1 down at the turn but pulled even with a par on the 10th. She matched birdies with Arkansas' Kendall Todd at the 13^th to stay tied, and then carded another birdie at No. 14 to go 1 up. Tsuru matched Todd the rest of the way, including a birdie at No. 17, to put a second point on the board for the Ducks with a 1 up victory.

Arkansas answered with a pair of wins, bringing the match down to Romero and Blonien. Romero had been 2 down through four holes, but won three straight holes to get to 1 up through seven. Blonien answered with a birdie at No. 8 to pull even, before Romero won at No. 9 to make the turn at 1 up.

The match was back to even through 12 holes, and Romero capitalized on back-to-back bogeys by Blonien to take a 2 up lead through 14. Blonien once again answered with a birdie at No. 15 to cut the deficit in half, and then took advantage of a bogey by Romero at No. 17 by making par and tying the match going to the 18th.

Both players hit the fairway and the green on the 18th. Romero put a lengthy lag putt inside a couple of feet to put the pressure on Blonien, who was able to drain a long birdie putt to win the match for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas 3, Oregon 2
Karen Tsuru (Oregon) def. Kendall Todd (Arkansas), 1 up
Clarisa Temelo (Arkansas) def. Tong An (Oregon), 3&2
Darae Chung (Oregon) def. Reagan Zibilski (Arkansas), 4&3
Maria Jose Marin (Arkansas) def. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (Oregon), 4&3
Natalie Blonien (Arkansas) def. Kiara Romero (Oregon), 1 up

What it Means: Playing a lineup that featured three sophomores and two freshmen, the Ducks finished first in stroke play by 14 strokes in a field that included three top-10 teams. Oregon then took the top-ranked Razorbacks down to the wire, a good indication of the potential that Radley's young team has a year after reaching the national semifinals.

Up Next: The Ducks will have another opportunity to gain match-play experience and compete on national television next week at the East Lake Cup in Atlanta (Oct. 28-30).