No. 14 Oregon Excited to Host Duck Invitational
*Updated season/career stats are available via the link above, and a link to www.Golfstat.com live results is available in the LINKS box to the right.
THIS WEEK’S OREGON MEN'S GOLF ACTION
Event: Oregon Duck Invitational
Dates: Monday-Tuesday, March 26-27, 2012
Location: Eugene Country Club, Eugene, Ore.
Par/Yardage: 72, 7,007 yards
First Tee Times (Shotgun Start): 8:30 a.m. - Mon. (3/25), 8:30 a.m. – Tue. (3/26)
Teams (Current Golfstat rankings): Oregon (14), Saint Mary's (34), Oregon State (56), Long Beach State (59), San Francisco (62), San Jose State (72), Colorado (73), Pacific (99), Washington State (116), UC Davis (119), Boise State (168), Santa Clara (190), Gonzaga (200), Central Oklahoma (13-D2)
Live www.Golfstat.com Results Link: http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=2974
TOURNEY OVERVIEW
EUGENE – Next Monday and Tuesday, the No. 14-ranked University of Oregon men’s golf team looks ahead to its lone home event of the season and fourth of seven spring tournaments.
The 23rd edition of the Oregon Duck Invitational returns to one of the nation’s top courses, the Eugene Country Club, for the 13th time since the first installment in 1989. Stroke play action starts with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start both days with two rounds Monday and a final round Tuesday morning.
No. 14 UO is one of 14 teams in the field, and No. 34 St. Mary’s is also ranked top 40 nationally this week by Golfstat.
In the national individual rankings, Duck senior Eugene Wong (third, 69.89) is the highest-ranked individual in the field, and is joined in the top 250 by three other Ducks - freshman Rak Cho (63rd, 71.28) and senior Daniel Miernicki (69th, 71.33), senior Andrew Vijarro (153rd, 72.11).
Six others in the field rank also top 250 nationally according to Golfstat - St. Mary’s junior Mac McClung (90th, 72.19), USF junior Taylor Travis (107th, 71.67), sophomore James Back (147th, 72.92) and senior Ji Hwan Park (158th, 72.08), Pacific junior Alex Edfort (219th, 72.44) and Long Beach State freshman Xander Schauffele (220th, 72.56).
Likewise, OSU senior Alex Moore didn’t appear in the Golfstat edition but stood 201st (71.06) in the Golfweek national rankings.
Next weekend, UO is one of six top-15 ranked teams headed to the Stanford Golf Course for the U.S. Intercollegiate, Fri.-Sun., March 30-April 1.
Ranked top 10 nationally all season long, Oregon features one of its most talented squads ever, composed of four seniors who led UO to team wins in its first three fall events, and a pair of third-place efforts this spring.
OREGON DUCK INVITATIONAL HISTORY
In last year’s event Eugene Country Club (3/21-22/11), then-No. 1 Oklahoma State (291-279-278-848) won the team title by eight strokes over Oregon (second, 289-284-283-856). Individually, Washington’s Chris Williams posted a two-stroke win (67-71-29-207) and held off a late charge by Rice’s Michael Whitehead (second-tie, 72-71-66-209), and second-round leader Alex Moore (second-tie, 73-63-73-209).
All-time, UO has won six team titles in the event (1989, ’90, ’93, 99, ’02 and 2010) and five individual crowns courtesy of Tim Hval (1990, 216), Jeff Lyons (1992, 214), Adrian Burtner (1999, 215), John Ellis (2003, 212) and Daniel Miernicki (2010, 209).
LAST TIME OUT
BANDON, Ore. (3/16-18/12) – Last weekend in the Bandon Dunes Championships, the then-No. 9 Ducks (287-297-287-871) placed third in the 15-team field after it placed all five of its entries in the top 30 overall and two other individual entries in the top 10.
Among UO’s official entries, redshirt junior Robbie Ziegler (ninth, 70-74-72-216) led the unit in the first round and final standings en route to his first top-10 placing of the year and seventh career-wise. Seniors Andrew Vijarro (12th-tie, 71-74-74-219) and Daniel Miernicki (15th-tie, 73-75-72-220) also placed top 15, and senior Eugene Wong (73-74-76-223) and Ben Itterman (79-75-69-223) tied for 30th overall. The latter player tied his career-low round with his two-under score in his first appearance of the season.
Among UO’s individual entries, freshman Rak Cho (third, 72-68-71-211) staked his third, top-three finish of the season and his eighth under-par round (and first round at par) among his 18 in stroke play this season.
Freshman Jonathan Woo tied for seventh (68-74-73-215) in his Duck debut, and UO’s other individual entries included redshirt junior Tyler Parker (61st-tie, 76-84-72-232), redshirt senior Jack Paton (63rd-tie, 79-80-74-223), junior Jack Pennington (72nd-tie, 81-75-80-236) and freshman Tye Gabriel (80th-tie,87-74-82-243).
In the overall standings, No. 3 Washington (284-287-286-857) tied for the team win with Long Beach State (291-287-279-857) after the latter shot the best round of the tourney in the finale. Individually, the Huskies’ Chris Williams won by six strokes (71-67-66), and his five-under finale tied the course record with event runner-up Kevin Lim of Long Beach State (second, 72-72-66-210).
DUCK TEAM BREAKDOWN
This year, senior Eugene Wong has led the team in the final standings of four of the team's six stroke play events. His win in the Alister MacKenzie Invitational (65-63-67-195) was his third career-wise, and his school-record 18-under score was a career best by eight strokes.
Among his 18 rounds this fall, he has a team-best 11 under-par rounds (and another at par), and has paced the team in eight rounds and four tourneys. Nationally, the 2010 Nickalaus Award winner ranks third this week nationally and tops in the Pac-12 in the Golfstat rankings (69.89).
Three other Ducks have played six stroke play events this season and rank top 160 nationally this week - freshman Rak Cho (63rd, 71.47) who jumped 30 spots this week, and seniors Daniel Miernicki (69th, 71.33) and Andrew Vijarro (153rd, 72.11).
Miernicki had the team's hottest start last fall, and opened with nine straight rounds of par or better, including seven under-par. He has led the team in two rounds this year, and posted top-20 placings in his first four fall events - the St. Mary's Invitational (3rd, 72-68-70-210), The Prestige (fifth, 70-69-68-207), Alister MacKenzie Invitational (12th-t, 67-68-71-206) and the Gifford Collegiate (20th-t, 73-73-72-218).
Vijarro had a noteworthy fall campaign with six under-par rounds among his last nine of the slate. His nine-under tourney score in The Prestige (fifth-t, 68-71-68-207) was an overall career best by two strokes. He added two more top-20 finishes in the St. Mary's Invitational (20th-t, 73-72-76-221) and Gifford Collegiate (17th, 75-74-68-217), and his other fall effort in the Alister MacKenzie Invitational featured two under-par rounds (31st, 73-69-69-211).
Freshman Rak Cho connected on under-par scores in six of his first nine rounds for the Ducks last fall, including a season-best five-under-67 in the finale of his collegiate debut, the St. Mary's Invitational (second, 74-68-67-209). He added a third-place effort in the Alister MacKenzie Invitational (third-tie, 67-68-66-201) en route to a 12-under tourney score that ranks fourth-best all-time for UO. In the spring, he tied his season low round with his five-under 67 in the Amer Ari Invitational opener in early February. In his most recent action, he added another under-par and par round on the par-71 Bandon Trails course en route to a third-place Bandon Dunes Championship finish and two-under tourney score (third, 72-68-71-211).
Redshirt junior Robbie Ziegler played three fall events for the Ducks after redshirting the 2010-11 campaign. The Canby, Ore., native kicked off the season with a 15th-place finish in the St. Mary's Invitational (20th-t, 73-72-76-221) - one of four top-20 finishers for the Ducks in the event. He logged two under-par rounds in his first four of the season, including a two-under season best in the St. Mary's finale. In the spring, he led UO’s team entries in the Bandon Dunes Championship in the overall results (ninth, 70-74-72-216) for the first time this year and the first round
Redshirt senior Jack Paton has played five events and has carded three rounds at par and another under-par. The Hillsborough, Calif., native has placed top 50 in three events, with his top two placings in his first stops of the fall - the St. Mary's Invitational (33rd-tie, 70-81-76-227) and Alister MacKenzie Invitational (31st, 71-72-77-220).
OREGON PLAYER CAREER OVERVIEWS
- Daniel Miernicki, Sr., Santee, Calif.
Led UO Rounds 50 (Sr. 2, Jr. 13, So. 20, Fr. 15) / Tourneys 14 (Jr. 4, So. 6, Fr. 4)
Under-Par Rounds 50 (Sr. 7, Jr. 13, So. 19, Fr. 11)
Rounds at Par 23 (Sr. 3, Jr. 6, So. 8, Fr. 6)
Career Best Round 62 (-10) (Sr. 67/68 (-4), Jr. 62 (-10), So. 64 (-7), Fr. 67 (-5))
Career Best Tourney Place 1st-4 Times (Sr. 3rd, Jr. 1st x2, So. 1st x2, Fr. 3rd)
Career Best Tourney Score 203 (-13) (Sr. 207 (-9), Jr. 203 (-13), So. 274 (-10), Fr. 209 (-7))
- Eugene Wong, Sr., North Vancouver, B.C.
Led UO Rounds 36 (Sr. 8, Jr. 5, So. 15, Fr. 8) / 11 Tourneys (Sr. 4, Jr. 2, So. 4, Fr. 1)
Under-Par Rounds 52 (Sr. 11, Jr. 5, So. 26, Fr. 10)
Rounds at Par 16 (Sr. 1, Jr. 4, So. 5, Fr. 6)
Career Best Round 63/64 (-8) (Sr. 63/64 (-8), Jr. 68 (-4), So. 64 (-7), Fr. 65 (-7))
Career Best Tourney Place 1st x3 (Sr. 1st, Jr. 5th, So. 1st x2, Fr. 10th)
Career Best Tourney Score 195 (-18) (Sr. 195 (-18), Jr. 214 (-2), So. 203 (-10), Fr. 208 (-8))
- Jack Paton, RSr., Canby, Ore.
Led UO Rounds 6 (Sr. 1, Jr. 1, So. 4, Fr. 0) / 0 Tourneys
Under-Par Rounds 7 (Sr. 1, Jr. 2, So. 4, Fr. 0),
Rounds at Par 7 (Sr. 3, Jr. 3, So. 1, Fr. 0)
Career Best Round 65 (-5) (Sr. 70 (-2), Jr. 68 (-2), So. 65 (-5), Fr. 70 (-2))
Career Best Tourney Place 2nd (Sr. 31st, Jr. 8th, So. 2nd, Fr. 12th)
Career Best Tourney Score 208 (-8) (Sr. 218 (+2), Jr. 216 (E), So. 208 (-8), Fr. 220 (+6))
- Andrew Vijarro, Sr. Bend, Ore.
Led UO Rounds 22 (Sr. 3, Jr. 6, So. 8, Fr. 5) / 10 Tourneys (Jr. 5, So. 3, Fr. 2)
Under-Par Rounds 35 (Sr. 7, Jr. 8, 15 So., 5 Fr.)
Rounds at Par 10 (Sr. 2, Jr. 4, So. 3, Fr. 1)
Career Best Round 66 (-5) (Sr. 68 (-4), Jr. 68 (-4), So. 66 (-5), Fr. 68 (-4))
Career Best Tourney Place 3rd (Sr. 5th, Jr. 4th, So. 3rd, Fr. 4th)
Career Best Tourney Score 207 (-9) (Sr. 207 (-9), Jr. 214 (-1), So. 135 (-7), Fr. 209 (-1))
- Robbie Ziegler, RJr., Canby, Ore.
Led UO Rounds 18 (Jr. 1, So. 5, Fr. 12) / 5 Tourneys (Jr. 1, So. 1, Fr. 3)
Under-Par Rounds 19 (Jr. 2, So. 7, Fr. 10)
Round at Par 4 (So. 2, Fr. 2)
Career Best Round 66 (-6) (Jr. 70 (-2), So. 66 (-6), Fr. 69 (-3))
Career Best Tourney Place 2nd (Jr. 9th, So. 3rd, Fr. 2nd)
Career Best Tourney Score (Jr. 220 (+4), So. 213 (-3), Fr. 213 (-3))
- Ben Itterman, So., Carlsbad, Calif.
4 Under-Par Rounds (So. 1, Fr. 3)
1 Round at Par (Fr. 1)
Career Best Round: 69 (-2), 70 (-2) x2 (So. 69 (-2), Fr. 70 (-2) x2)
Career Best Tourney Place: 8th (So. 30th, Fr. 8th)
Career Best Tourney Score: 216 (+1) (So. 223 (+12), Fr. 216 (+1)
- Jonathan Woo, Fr., Singapore
Career Best Round 68 (-3) (Fr. 68 (-3))
Career Best Tourney Place 7th (Fr. 7th)
Career Best Tourney Score 215 (+2) (Fr. 215 (+2))
- Tyler Parker, Jr., Portland, Ore.
Rounds at Par 1 (Fr. 1)
Career Best Round 72 (+1)(Jr. 72 (+1), So. 75 (+3), Fr. 72 (E))
Career Best Tourney Place 17th (Jr. 61st, So. 55th, Fr. 17th)
Career Best Score 227 (+11) (Jr. 232 (+19), So. 227 (+11), Fr. 228 (+12))
- Jack Pennington, Jr., Eugene, Ore.
Career Best Round (Jr. ))
Career Best Tourney Place (Jr. , Fr. 20th)
Career Best Tourney Score (Jr. ), Fr. 155 (+12))
- Tye Gabriel, Fr., Portland, Ore.
Career Best Round (Fr. 74 (+3))
Career Best Tourney Place (Fr. 80th)
Career Best Tourney Score (Fr. 243 (+30))
PAC-12 RULES NATIONAL RANKINGS
This week, No. 14 Oregon is one of six Pac-12 teams ranked top 14 nationally by Golfstat with No. 3 California, No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 Washington, No. 10 USC and No. 11 Stanford.
One other league team was just shy of the top 50 - Arizona (51) – and the league’s other members are Oregon State (56), Colorado (73), Arizona State (74), Washington State (116) and Utah (209).
Individual-wise, senior Eugene Wong (third, 69.89) is the top Pac-12 player in the national individual rankings, and others ranked top 25 include Washington junior Chris Williams (fourth, 70.59), Stanford freshman Patrick Rodgers (seventh, 71.29), UW freshman Cheng-Tsung Pan (eighth, 70.81), USC senior Steve Lim (21st, 71.61) and California junior Max Homa (23rd, 71.10).
In last June's NCAA Championships, the ‘Conference of Champions’ featured one team in the quarterfinals (UCLA), and the Bruins led the stroke play scoring (872) by three strokes. Three other league members placed in the opening three rounds - USC (12th-t, 895), Arizona State (18th, 899) and California (19th-t, 902).
On the individual front, the Pac-12 featured the national runner-up - UCLA's Patrick Cantlay (72-69-71-212), and two four more top-20 finishers in California's Michael Weaver (eighth-tie, 71-71-74-216) and Max Homa (17th-t, 73-74-72-219), USC's Jeffrey Kang (20th-t, 72-73-75-220) and UCLA's Gregor Main (20th-t, 72-70-78-220).
Historically, five different Pac-10 teams (Stanford (7 - 1938, 39, 41, 42, 46, 53, 94), Arizona State (2 - 1990, 96), UCLA (2 - 1988, 208), Arizona (1 - 1992) and California (1 - 2004) have combined for 13 team titles since the first collegiate championship in 1897.
League individuals have claimed 14 championships in the same span courtesy of Stanford's Frank Tatum (1942) and Tiger Woods (1996), USC's Scott Simpson (1976, '77), Ron Commons (1981) and Jamie Lovemark (2007), Arizona State's Jim Carter (1983), Phil Mickelson (1989, '90, '92), Todd Demsey (1993) and Alejandro Cañizares (2003),Washington's James Lepp (2005) and UCLA's Kevin Chappell (2008).
THE ROAD TO LOS ANGELES
Over the course of this season, the Ducks will set their sights on their 25th NCAA Championships trip and fourth under the guidance of head coach Casey Martin, with the 2012 finale set for May 29-June 3 at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.
The postseason kicks off three weeks prior with the first-ever Pac-12 Championships, Fri.-Sun., April 27-29 at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis, Ore.. Two weeks later, six 14-team NCAA Regionals will be held Thu.-Sun., May 17-19 in Ann Arbor, Mich., Bowling Green, Kent., Athens, Ga., Greensboro, N.C., Norman, Okla. and Stanford, Calif.
DUCK NCAA HISTORY
The Ducks have made three of their 24 NCAA appearances under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Casey MartIn. In that span, the team's third-place tie in 2010 was its best-ever in program history, and one place better than its showing in 1959. His other youth-laden squads in '09 and '08 placed 22nd and 27th, respectively.
UO's all-time finishes in order of placing follow: third - 2010 (Stroke Play-861), fourth (1959 - 574), seventh (197 - 1228), 10th (1976 - 1194), 11th (1978 - 1188), 14th (1948 - 616; 1956 - 620; 1970 - 1208), 15th (1957 - 632), 16th (1960 - 628; 1975 - 1215), 17th (1947 - 638), 18th (1950 - 619; 1986 - 1192; 1999 - 614), 22nd (1983 - 907; 2003 - 924; 2009 - 897); 23rd (1990 - 1206), 27th (1981 - 904; 1998 - 590; 2008 - 935), 30th (1987 - 926) and 32nd (1964 - 640)
UO CONFERENCE HISTORY
Oregon’s runner-up finish last year was its second under head coach Casey Martin, and tied its best-ever placing that it had posted four times before (1985, '86, '97, '09). In prior Pac-8 Championships between 1965-78, UO had also finished second twice before, and won the North Division in 1976 and '77.
UO’s all-time Pac-10/12 finishes follow: 1979 5th, 1980 6th, 1981 3rd, 1982 4th, 1983 5th, 1984 7th, 1985 2nd, 1986 2nd, 1987 4th, 1989 T4th, 1990 6th, 1991 6th, 1992 5th, 1993 6th, 1994 T6th, 1995 5th, 1996 10th, 1997 2nd, 1998 7th, 1999 3rd, 2000 4th, 2001 8th, 2002 5th, 2003 7th, 2004 7th, 2005 5th, 2006 10th, 2007 8th, 2008 9th-t, 2009 2nd, 2010 6th-t, 2011 2nd (1st-t regulation)
TOP DUCK PROFILE
Sixth-year Duck head coach Casey Martin has established himself as one of the nation's most respected coaches after an equally noteworthy collegiate and pro playing career.
The Eugene native was tabbed the Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2010 - his fourth season at the helm - after he led the Ducks to a school-record five tournament victories, including Oregon’s first-ever NCAA Regional title. UO followed with a school-best tie for third place in the NCAA Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn., thanks to a fifth-place effort in stroke play, and quarterfinal match play win over league rival Washington, 3-2.
That same 2009-10 season, then-sophomore Eugene Wong was tabbed the co-Pac-10 Golfer of the Year, won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the Division I player of the year and was named a first-team PING All-American. Wong's tie for ninth at the NCAA Championships is believed to be the best finish ever by a UO golfer.
Other highlights his first few seasons included, wins in the 2006 Northwest Collegiate Classic - his second event at the Duck helm - and the 2007 Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe. Prior to becoming head coach, he served as a volunteer assistant for the Ducks during the 2005-06 season.
Before that he was one of the nation's most recognized professionals since the start of his pro career in 1998. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2000 - the same season he recorded five top-50 finishes. His best showing was a tie for 17th in the 2000 Tucson Open, and he also placed 23rd in the the 1998 U.S. Open.
A graduate of South Eugene High School, Martin was a three time all-conference selection and a two-time All-American while golfing at Stanford. In 1995, he received academic All-American honors while graduating from Stanford with a degree in economics. He was a member of the 1994 Stanford team that won the NCAA championship.
LANNING JOINS FOLD
The Oregon men's golf team welcomed Brad Lanning to the program this past summer as a first-year assistant coach. In his recent work as a highly successful high school golf coach, head coach Casey Martin also welcomes his former Stanford teammate from three seasons, including the Cardinal's 1994 NCAA Championship squad.
After college, Lanning spent six years playing professionally with stints on the Hooters Tour, South American Tour and Canadian PGA, and also worked as a stock broker before entering the coaching ranks.
Success came quickly for Lanning as a high school assistant coach with a state title and runner-up finish in two years at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Bradenton, Fla. After relocating to Colorado to enter a master’s program at Denver Seminary, Lanning assisted Valor Christian High School to a pair of state championships in his three seasons at the helm.
A 1994 Stanford graduate with a degree in Political Science, Lanning, 40, earned his master’s in Counseling at Denver Seminary in 2011.
MORE ONLINE GOLF INFORMATION
Pac-12 Conference – www.Pac-12.org
NCAA – www.NCAA.org / www.NCAAsports.com
Golf Coaches Association of America - www.collegiategolf.com
Golfstat - www.Golfstat.com
Golfweek - www.Golfweek.com
Junior Golf Scoreboard - www.njgs.com
USGA - www.usga.org
PNGA - www.thepnga.org
OGA - www.oga.org
OREGON GOLF MEDIA
Daily Emerald Student Newspaper: www.dailyemerald.com
Eugene Register Guard: www.registerguard.com
Oregonian: www.oregonlive.com
KEZI-TV (ABC): www.kezi.org
KMTR-TV (NBC): www.kmtr.org
KVAL-TV (CBS): www.kval.org
KUGN-590 AM (Radio): www.kugn.com
Duck News (Online): www.DuckNews.com
MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION
Assistant AD, Media Services: Dave Williford
Assistant Dir. (M Golf Contact): Geoff Thurner, (541) 346-2250
E-mail: gthurner@uoregon.edu
Department web site: www.goducks.com
Address: 2727 Leo Harris Parkway, Eugene, Ore. 97401
Office Phone: 541/346-5488
Office FAX: 541/346-5449
- www.GoDucks.com –
