Men’s Golf Opens Season at Husky Invite

EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon’s men’s golf team opens the 2014-15 season Monday and Tuesday at the Husky Invitational in Bremerton, Wash.

The Ducks return all five players from last year’s team that finished 14th at the 2014 NCAA Championships in May, though senior Jonathan Woo won’t be available this week as he continues an extended summer tour of tournaments in his native Singapore.

That will open the door for a number of Oregon’s younger players, including three who will be making their Duck debuts this week, freshmen Hurly Long (St. Leon-Rot, Germany) and Aaron Wise (Lake Elsinore, Calif.) and sophomore Nigel Lett (Beaverton, Ore.), a transfer from Nevada.

However, it would be an error to overlook Oregon’s veterans, especially sophomore Thomas Lim, who won the 2013 Husky Invitational crown by nine strokes over Washington’s Tyler Salsbury. Lim carded impressive rounds of 68-67-66 for a 12-under 201 total in his very first tournament as a Duck.

“It’s always exciting to get the fall season going and there are a lot of good teams at this tournament,” said head coach Casey Martin. “We do have some experienced guys coming back and I think we have some talented new guys who could come in and make a difference, so I’m looking forward to seeing where we are at.”

EVENT: Husky Invitational
LOCATION: Bremerton, Wash.
DATES: Monday, Sept. 22 – Tuesday, Sept. 23
COURSE: Gold Mountain Golf Club
PAR/YARDS: Par-72 / 7,168 yards (Olympic Course); Par-71 / 6,707 yards (Cascade Course)
TEE TIME: 7:20 a.m. (PDT)
FORMAT: Shotgun start
LIVE SCORING: https://www.birdiefire.com/tournament/6236/
OREGON LINE UP (8): Max Carter, Zach Foushee, Nigel Lett, Thomas Lim, Hurly Long, Brandon McIver, Sulman Raza, Aaron Wise.
FIELD (15): Brigham Young, UC Davis, Gonzaga, New Mexico, Oregon, Oregon State, Pepperdine, Sacramento State, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, Seattle, UCLA, Utah, Washington and Washington State.

WHAT’S ON THE LINE
Even though the NCAA doesn’t conduct it’s championships until the spring, golf is one of the few sports where fall results count toward the postseason bid process. Oregon has made eight straight NCAA Regionals and five of the last seven NCAA Championships, so getting an early leg up on the competition with a high finish in fall events can help in both securing an NCAA spot, and gaining a favorable seed.

LAST TIME AT THE HUSKY INVITATIONAL
Freshman Thomas Lim ran away from the competition to win medalist honors at 12-under 201 (68-67-66) at Gold Mountain’s Cascade Course. Sophomore Brandon McIver also had a strong opening showing, tying for third at 2-under 211. Sophomore Max Carter struggled to a 10-over 223, as the Ducks tied for 7th in the team race at 11-over 875.

- www.GoDucks.com -