Ducks Look to Defend Thunderbird Invitational Title
EUGENE, Ore. ? Defending champion Oregon heads to the 2008 ASU Thunderbird Invitational Friday through Sunday at the par-71, 7,057-yard Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz. Oregon won ASU’s tournament for the first time in school history last season by defeating host Arizona State by three strokes, 844 to 847.
The Ducks will attempt to defend their crown with the same line-up they have used all spring. That quintet, which has produced seven top-four finishes this spring, includes seniors Joey Benedetti and Derek Sipe and freshmen Jack Dukeminier, Sean Maekawa and Isaiah Telles.
Sipe finished second at ASU a year ago, which was his best showing as a collegian. He shot a 9-under 204. Benedetti has also been successful at the Karsten course. He tied for eighth as a sophomore (209) and then tied for 28th last season (216).
The 14 schools joining the Ducks are Arizona, host Arizona State, Baylor, California, UC Irvine, Cal State Northridge, Colorado State, Connecticut, Denver, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pacific, San Diego State and No. 17 Texas A&M.
Action will begin at 7:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, with a 6 a.m. tee time slated for Sunday. Live scoring for the tournament will be available at www.golfstat.com.
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