Defending Champion Ducks Look to Repeat at Nationals
05/23/17 | Men's Golf
Photo Credit: Cliff Grassmick
EUGENE, Ore. – The reigning NCAA champion Oregon Ducks men's golf team is set to start their journey to defending their title beginning this Friday, May 26 at the 7,300-yard, par-72 Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
Ticket information can be found at www.ncaa.com/tickets, https://2017ncaagolf.eventbrite.com or by contacting David Gennett at Rich Harvest Farms at 630-466-7610.
To get more information about Rich Harvest Farms, visit the course's website here - http://www.richharvestfarms.com/
Hosted by North Illinois University, the championships will consist of three days of stroke play from Friday through Sunday (54 holes) from which 15 teams and nine individuals from non-advancing teams will compete in 18 holes on stroke play on Monday. After Monday, eight teams will advance to match play to the championships and a 72-hole individual champion will be crowned. Match play will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals on Tuesday, followed by the final championship round on Wednesday.
In the first round, Oregon will be paired with Illinois and Kent State with an 11: 00 a.m. PT (1:00 p.m. CT) start from the 10th hole. On Saturday, the Ducks, Illini and Eagles will tee off at 5:40 a.m. PT (7:40 a.m. CT) from the first tee.
2017 NCAA Championships Schedule and Format
Thursday, May 25 – Practice round
Friday, May 26 – First day of stroke play competition (18 holes) – 11:00 a.m. (1:00 p.m. CT) start from 10th tee (Illinois, Oregon, Kent State)
Saturday, May 27 – Second day of stroke play competition (18 holes) – 7:40 a.m. start from 1st tee (Illinois, Oregon, Kent State)
Sunday, May 28 – Third day of stroke play competition (18 holes)
Wednesday, May 31 – NCAA championship match (Golf Channel coverage)
Golf Channel Coverage:
Monday, May 29 – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT)
Tuesday, May 30 – 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. PT (10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT) and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT)
Wednesday, May 31 – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT)
"The most important days for us will be Sunday and Monday when we try to make the cuts to get into match play," said head coach Casey Martin. "That will be a really fun and important stretch for us and I'm excited to see these guys tackle that. We all know that it's going to be a really tough championship, they always are, but it's going to be tough on everybody. We're ready to rise to the occasion. "
Live scoring of the championships will be available on Golfstat here – http://bit.ly/2q8GVQr
Championship Field (30): Oregon, Arizona State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas, Duke, LSU, Jacksonville, Virginia, University of Central Florida, Clemson, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Florida State, Kent State, Penn State, USC, Baylor, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, Stanford, Auburn, Illinois, New Mexico, Purdue, UNLV
Championship Field Individuals (6): Will Zalatoris (Wake Forest), Mason Overstreet (Arkansas), Cam Norman (Troy), Chandler Phillips (Texas A&M), Travis Trace (North Florida), Trent Wallace (Illinois State)
View the complete Golfstat team rankings here – http://bit.ly/2mRx8JT
View the complete Golfstat individual rankings here - http://bit.ly/2qxXK8V
Last Time Out: The Ducks secured a third-place finish at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional to officially punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships. Redshirt senior Wyndham Clark (72-70-71—213, -3), ranked No. 1 on the Golfstat rankings and Pac-12 Player of the Year, finished second overall, one stroke behind No. 2 Sam Burns (LSU) (65-72-75—212, -4). Clark's finish marks his sixth top-two finish this season, and the eighth time he has finished in the top five in 12 events.
"Regionals are the most stressful week of the year, but also one of the most exciting," said Martin/ "You get to see kids playing with a lot on the line. Thankfully, we made it through; we didn't play our best golf, but we did what we needed to do and now we get to defend our championship. The guys are really excited about it, and that's the best to see for me as a coach. We've been through a lot of adversity this spring with our weather here in Oregon, but I think that has helped prepare us. Chicago could have some crazy weather, and I think our spring has helped prepare us take one whatever we will face."
Last season, the Ducks hosted the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships at the Eugene Country Club. Oregon won the team title after defeating top-seeded Texas 3-2 in the final round of match play competition. Aaron Wise took home the individual title with a total of 275 (-5) after four days. The team and individual victory on their home course was the first since Ohio State completed the feat in 1945. Now senior Sulman Raza, Eugene native, was the Ducks' hero after sinking the final putt to win it all for the Ducks.
"I don't really know how you recreate the magic we all experienced last year. We had such a magnificent week – it's hard to believe it has already been a year. Our goal is not to try to duplicate it or anything; our goal is to just go play golf, hopefully at a high level and see how it stacks up. We can't force situations - you just have to handle yourself and your actions. Hopefully the guys will go and play their best golf and the magic will follow."
With just one returning player in the lineup for the 2017 championships from 2016 in sophomore Edwin Yi, Martin had the luck of bringing on transfer Wyndham Clark, who has taken the program to new heights – something not expected by Martin after the departure of Wise to the Pro Tour. In addition to Clark, freshman Norman Xiong has been a part of the one-two punch for the Ducks, steadily being a fixture at the top of the leaderboard all season. Considering he should just now be graduating high school, it's a large feat for someone so young excelling at such a high level.
"Aaron (Wise) leaving early helped influence me to join the team early, but I was also planning on doing that beforehand as well," said Xiong. "I knew I needed to go to that next level in order to improve. I knew another year in junior golf wouldn't help me as much. I was able to watch the team win the championship last season and I was actually kind of surprised. They kind of seemed like the underdogs, even though it was at our home course. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to come to Oregon was to help the team win their first national championship title, and Wise and the team beat me to it. Hopefully we can do it again this year."
"I think that if we all play solid golf, we can be even better than last year. I think we're more stacked this year and we're in a really good place having Wyndham too."
Oregon's NCAA championships Lineup
1. Wyndham Clark (RSR) – Golfstat rank: No. 2 – scoring average: 69.51 – season low round: 65 – best finish: 1
2. Norman Xiong (FR) – Golfstat rank: No. 5 – scoring average: 70.57 – season low round: 64 – best finish: T1
3. Edwin Yi (SO) – Golfstat rank: No. 67 – scoring average: 72.25 – season low round: 67 – best finish: T2
4. Ryan Gronlund (RSO) – Golfstat rank: No. 68 – scoring average: 72.23 – season low round: 68 – best finish: 4
5. Sulman Raza (RSR) – Scoring average: 73.75 – season low round: 64 – best finish: 1
Alt. Kevin Geniza (FR) – Scoring average: 73.78 – season low round: 67 – best finish: T14
Season At a Glance: Entering this season, Martin believed that this season would be a true rebuilding year following the NCAA championship title and the loss of individual champion Aaron Wise to the Pro Tour. Rebuilding was far from the word to describe this season. In 12 events, the Ducks finished first five times and never finished below fifth all year. For the first time since 1959, the Ducks claimed the outright Pac-12 championship crown with Clark taking top medalist honors – the first since Brent Murray in 1978. Clark, a redshirt senior transfer, filled any void the team may have had entering the season and is ranked the No. 2 player in the nation on the Golfstat rankings, was named a the Pac-12 Golfer of the Month for the month of April, Pac-12 Golfer of the Year, as well as a finalist for the prestigious Ben Hogan Award. Clark held a stroke average of 69.51 and shot a 69 or better in 18 of 34 rounds. Xiong also made a name for himself in his first season of collegiate golf with being named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, was picked to represent the U.S. in the prestigious Palmer Cup and was also named a semifinalist with Clark for the 2017 Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year. In just his third collegiate events, Xiong tied with Clark for top honors at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate and has a scoring average of 70.38. In addition, Ryan Gronlund and Yi were named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team. At the helm of the program is coach Martin, who was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
2016-17 Team Season Statistics
Tournaments: 12
Rounds: 34
Average Score: 284.62
Best Finish: 1st (Five times – Arizona Intercollegiate, Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate, Bandon Dunes Championship, Oregon Duck Invitational, Pac-12 Championships)
Lowest Finish: 5th (Nike Golf Collegiate Invite)
Low Round: 271 (second round of the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate)
Low Total Score: 836 (Bandon Dunes Championship)
First Round Average: 72.52
Last Round Average: 72.03
Par 3 Scoring: 3.18
Par 4 Scoring: 4.12
Par 5 Scoring: 4.71
Total Eagles: 19
Total Birdies: 579
Pars Per Round: 10.72
Ham & Egg: 11/3
Birdie Conversion: .279
Putting Par: .45
Greens In Regulation: .651
Average Putts: 30.17
Sand Saves: .411
2016-17 Season Team Statistical Leaders
Low Round: Xiong/Raza (64)
Best First Round Average: Clark (70.67)
Best Last Round Average: Clark (68.08)
Par 3 Scoring Leader: Xiong (3.05)
Par 4 Scoring Leader: Clark (3.98)
Par 5 Scoring Leader: Clark (4.46)
Most Eagles: Clark (7)
Most Birdies: Clark (133)
Pars Per Round: Clark (11.38)
Ham & Egg: Clark/Xiong (12/3)
Fairways Hit: Lett (.738)
Birdie Conversion: Xiong (.335)
Putting Par: Clark (-1.39)
Greens in Regulation: Xiong (.720)
Average Putts: Clark (29.14)
Sand Saves: Yi (.500)
Follow the Ducks: Follow all of the University of Oregon men's golf action both on and off the greens. Make sure to follow @OregonMGolf on Twitter. Also follow the team on Facebook by "liking" Oregon Men's Golf Team and following Oregon Men's Golf on Instagram.
#GoDucks
Ticket information can be found at www.ncaa.com/tickets, https://2017ncaagolf.eventbrite.com or by contacting David Gennett at Rich Harvest Farms at 630-466-7610.
To get more information about Rich Harvest Farms, visit the course's website here - http://www.richharvestfarms.com/
Hosted by North Illinois University, the championships will consist of three days of stroke play from Friday through Sunday (54 holes) from which 15 teams and nine individuals from non-advancing teams will compete in 18 holes on stroke play on Monday. After Monday, eight teams will advance to match play to the championships and a 72-hole individual champion will be crowned. Match play will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals on Tuesday, followed by the final championship round on Wednesday.
In the first round, Oregon will be paired with Illinois and Kent State with an 11: 00 a.m. PT (1:00 p.m. CT) start from the 10th hole. On Saturday, the Ducks, Illini and Eagles will tee off at 5:40 a.m. PT (7:40 a.m. CT) from the first tee.
2017 NCAA Championships Schedule and Format
Thursday, May 25 – Practice round
Friday, May 26 – First day of stroke play competition (18 holes) – 11:00 a.m. (1:00 p.m. CT) start from 10th tee (Illinois, Oregon, Kent State)
Saturday, May 27 – Second day of stroke play competition (18 holes) – 7:40 a.m. start from 1st tee (Illinois, Oregon, Kent State)
Sunday, May 28 – Third day of stroke play competition (18 holes)
- 15 teams and nine individuals advance for final round of stroke play
- Eight teams advance to match-play competition and 72-hole individual champion crowned
Wednesday, May 31 – NCAA championship match (Golf Channel coverage)
Golf Channel Coverage:
Monday, May 29 – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT)
Tuesday, May 30 – 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. PT (10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT) and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT)
Wednesday, May 31 – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT)
"The most important days for us will be Sunday and Monday when we try to make the cuts to get into match play," said head coach Casey Martin. "That will be a really fun and important stretch for us and I'm excited to see these guys tackle that. We all know that it's going to be a really tough championship, they always are, but it's going to be tough on everybody. We're ready to rise to the occasion. "
Live scoring of the championships will be available on Golfstat here – http://bit.ly/2q8GVQr
Championship Field (30): Oregon, Arizona State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas, Duke, LSU, Jacksonville, Virginia, University of Central Florida, Clemson, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Florida State, Kent State, Penn State, USC, Baylor, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, Stanford, Auburn, Illinois, New Mexico, Purdue, UNLV
Championship Field Individuals (6): Will Zalatoris (Wake Forest), Mason Overstreet (Arkansas), Cam Norman (Troy), Chandler Phillips (Texas A&M), Travis Trace (North Florida), Trent Wallace (Illinois State)
View the complete Golfstat team rankings here – http://bit.ly/2mRx8JT
View the complete Golfstat individual rankings here - http://bit.ly/2qxXK8V
Last Time Out: The Ducks secured a third-place finish at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional to officially punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships. Redshirt senior Wyndham Clark (72-70-71—213, -3), ranked No. 1 on the Golfstat rankings and Pac-12 Player of the Year, finished second overall, one stroke behind No. 2 Sam Burns (LSU) (65-72-75—212, -4). Clark's finish marks his sixth top-two finish this season, and the eighth time he has finished in the top five in 12 events.
"Regionals are the most stressful week of the year, but also one of the most exciting," said Martin/ "You get to see kids playing with a lot on the line. Thankfully, we made it through; we didn't play our best golf, but we did what we needed to do and now we get to defend our championship. The guys are really excited about it, and that's the best to see for me as a coach. We've been through a lot of adversity this spring with our weather here in Oregon, but I think that has helped prepare us. Chicago could have some crazy weather, and I think our spring has helped prepare us take one whatever we will face."
Last season, the Ducks hosted the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships at the Eugene Country Club. Oregon won the team title after defeating top-seeded Texas 3-2 in the final round of match play competition. Aaron Wise took home the individual title with a total of 275 (-5) after four days. The team and individual victory on their home course was the first since Ohio State completed the feat in 1945. Now senior Sulman Raza, Eugene native, was the Ducks' hero after sinking the final putt to win it all for the Ducks.
"I don't really know how you recreate the magic we all experienced last year. We had such a magnificent week – it's hard to believe it has already been a year. Our goal is not to try to duplicate it or anything; our goal is to just go play golf, hopefully at a high level and see how it stacks up. We can't force situations - you just have to handle yourself and your actions. Hopefully the guys will go and play their best golf and the magic will follow."
With just one returning player in the lineup for the 2017 championships from 2016 in sophomore Edwin Yi, Martin had the luck of bringing on transfer Wyndham Clark, who has taken the program to new heights – something not expected by Martin after the departure of Wise to the Pro Tour. In addition to Clark, freshman Norman Xiong has been a part of the one-two punch for the Ducks, steadily being a fixture at the top of the leaderboard all season. Considering he should just now be graduating high school, it's a large feat for someone so young excelling at such a high level.
"Aaron (Wise) leaving early helped influence me to join the team early, but I was also planning on doing that beforehand as well," said Xiong. "I knew I needed to go to that next level in order to improve. I knew another year in junior golf wouldn't help me as much. I was able to watch the team win the championship last season and I was actually kind of surprised. They kind of seemed like the underdogs, even though it was at our home course. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to come to Oregon was to help the team win their first national championship title, and Wise and the team beat me to it. Hopefully we can do it again this year."
"I think that if we all play solid golf, we can be even better than last year. I think we're more stacked this year and we're in a really good place having Wyndham too."
Oregon's NCAA championships Lineup
1. Wyndham Clark (RSR) – Golfstat rank: No. 2 – scoring average: 69.51 – season low round: 65 – best finish: 1
2. Norman Xiong (FR) – Golfstat rank: No. 5 – scoring average: 70.57 – season low round: 64 – best finish: T1
3. Edwin Yi (SO) – Golfstat rank: No. 67 – scoring average: 72.25 – season low round: 67 – best finish: T2
4. Ryan Gronlund (RSO) – Golfstat rank: No. 68 – scoring average: 72.23 – season low round: 68 – best finish: 4
5. Sulman Raza (RSR) – Scoring average: 73.75 – season low round: 64 – best finish: 1
Alt. Kevin Geniza (FR) – Scoring average: 73.78 – season low round: 67 – best finish: T14
Season At a Glance: Entering this season, Martin believed that this season would be a true rebuilding year following the NCAA championship title and the loss of individual champion Aaron Wise to the Pro Tour. Rebuilding was far from the word to describe this season. In 12 events, the Ducks finished first five times and never finished below fifth all year. For the first time since 1959, the Ducks claimed the outright Pac-12 championship crown with Clark taking top medalist honors – the first since Brent Murray in 1978. Clark, a redshirt senior transfer, filled any void the team may have had entering the season and is ranked the No. 2 player in the nation on the Golfstat rankings, was named a the Pac-12 Golfer of the Month for the month of April, Pac-12 Golfer of the Year, as well as a finalist for the prestigious Ben Hogan Award. Clark held a stroke average of 69.51 and shot a 69 or better in 18 of 34 rounds. Xiong also made a name for himself in his first season of collegiate golf with being named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, was picked to represent the U.S. in the prestigious Palmer Cup and was also named a semifinalist with Clark for the 2017 Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year. In just his third collegiate events, Xiong tied with Clark for top honors at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate and has a scoring average of 70.38. In addition, Ryan Gronlund and Yi were named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team. At the helm of the program is coach Martin, who was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
2016-17 Team Season Statistics
Tournaments: 12
Rounds: 34
Average Score: 284.62
Best Finish: 1st (Five times – Arizona Intercollegiate, Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate, Bandon Dunes Championship, Oregon Duck Invitational, Pac-12 Championships)
Lowest Finish: 5th (Nike Golf Collegiate Invite)
Low Round: 271 (second round of the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate)
Low Total Score: 836 (Bandon Dunes Championship)
First Round Average: 72.52
Last Round Average: 72.03
Par 3 Scoring: 3.18
Par 4 Scoring: 4.12
Par 5 Scoring: 4.71
Total Eagles: 19
Total Birdies: 579
Pars Per Round: 10.72
Ham & Egg: 11/3
Birdie Conversion: .279
Putting Par: .45
Greens In Regulation: .651
Average Putts: 30.17
Sand Saves: .411
2016-17 Season Team Statistical Leaders
Low Round: Xiong/Raza (64)
Best First Round Average: Clark (70.67)
Best Last Round Average: Clark (68.08)
Par 3 Scoring Leader: Xiong (3.05)
Par 4 Scoring Leader: Clark (3.98)
Par 5 Scoring Leader: Clark (4.46)
Most Eagles: Clark (7)
Most Birdies: Clark (133)
Pars Per Round: Clark (11.38)
Ham & Egg: Clark/Xiong (12/3)
Fairways Hit: Lett (.738)
Birdie Conversion: Xiong (.335)
Putting Par: Clark (-1.39)
Greens in Regulation: Xiong (.720)
Average Putts: Clark (29.14)
Sand Saves: Yi (.500)
Follow the Ducks: Follow all of the University of Oregon men's golf action both on and off the greens. Make sure to follow @OregonMGolf on Twitter. Also follow the team on Facebook by "liking" Oregon Men's Golf Team and following Oregon Men's Golf on Instagram.
#GoDucks
