Sulman Raza wasn't in the line up for Oregon but he still medaled
(Golfweek Photo)
EUGENE, OR (March 28, 2017) -- Playing at home and at the site of their 2016 NCAA title the tenth-ranked Oregon Ducks have won their won Oregon Duck Invitational. Throughout the tournament the outcome was rarely in doubt and at 8-under Oregon eased their way into a 18 shot triumph.
For Oregon this is their fourth win of the season and third consecutive after they won the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate last month and the Bandon Dunes Championship earlier in the month.
Paving the way for Oregon at Eugene Country Club was one of the top players in the country, redshirt senior Wyndham Clark. In the final round Clark closed with a 2-under 69 to post a 54-hole 5-under tally and finish second. In the final round Clark birdied six-times and bogeyed three-times, including two in a row on Nos. 16 and 17.
The Ducks were lifted to their dominate win thanks to three other top-20 finishes; Norman Xiong (3rd; -4), Edwin Yi (5th; -2) and Kevin Geniza (T16; +2).
However, despite all the stellar play from the Ducks in the lineup the best Oregon showing came from medalist winner Sulman Raza. Playing as individual Raza combined rounds of 67-64-74 to card an 8-under showing and a three shot win.
The final round 3-over 74 wasn't the prettiest for Raza but the man who drained the winning putt of the NCAA Championships last year did just enough to find away.
So far the season has been a bit of struggle for Raza as previously he hadn't finished better than a tie for 12th at the East Lake Cup but with postseason play right around the corner hopefully he is finding his grove once more.
The only non Duck to break through with a top-five finish was Brad Reeves of Arizona who at 3-under was fourth.
36-HOLE RECAP
Following the 36-hole first day of play at the Oregon Duck Invitational at Eugene Country Club the host Oregon Ducks are 8-under and as the only team under-par they are the leaders by 10 shots.
On Tuesday Oregon will have a chance for their fourth win of the season and third consecutive after they won the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate last month and the Bandon Dunes Championship just about two weeks ago.
Arizona (+2) is in second place, Oregon State (+5) is third, No. 22 San Diego State (+9) is fourth and Utah (+10) is fifth.
Pacing the Ducks with just one round remaining is Norman Xiong, who at 4-under is tied for second. In fact all five Ducks in the lineup this week are inside the top-25; Wyndham Clark is tied for fourth at 3-under, Edwin Yi is sharing ninth at 1-under, in a tie for 12th at even-par it is Kevin Geniza while Ryan Gronlund is tied for 22nd at 3-over.
However, the low Oregon player in the field isn't one that is in the lineup. Playing as an individual but still leading the medalist race by a healthy margin is Sulman Raza. The day for Raza started with a comfortable first round 4-under 67, but he really took off in the second round firing a 7-under 64 to reach 11-under and a seven shot advantage.
In the second round, Raza played a bogey-free round of golf with seven birdies. Raza started the round on No. 15 and rolled in birdies on the 16th, 17th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 13th and 14th holes.
Behind Raza at 4-under in second place comes Duck teammate Norman Xiong and Petter Mikalsen (Denver) while another Duck Wyndham Clark and Brad Reeves (Arizona) share fifth at 3-under.
View results for Oregon Duck Invitational
ABOUT THE
Oregon Duck Invitational
54 hole men's college tournament hosted by
the
University of Oregon. Team (best four scores out of
five
players each round) and individual competitions.
View Complete Tournament Information