Roller Coaster Day Has Ducks In Top 10

STANFORD, Calif. – Oregon held the lead early on in round one of The Goodwin after getting off to a fast start on the back nine before enduring a rough stretch on the more difficult front side at Stanford Golf Course to shoot 3 over and sit in eighth place.
 
"Today was a roller coaster," said head coach Casey Martin. We got off to a hot start then had a brutal stretch, but the course and conditions were difficult and we battled hard."
 
Jake Sollon leads the way individually for the Ducks after shooting a 2-under 68 to put him in a tie for eighth while Tom Gueant joined him under par with an opening 1-under 69, putting him a tie for 14th.
 
How It Happened: Sollon came out on fire to start his round, going bogey-free with a pair of birdies and an eagle at the par-5 16th to get to 4 under through seven. He bogeyed the par-3 17th though to shoot 3 under on the his opening nine before playing steady on the front nine, making eight pars and just one bogey at the difficult par-3 fourth hole to finish 2 under.
 
Gueant turned in a relatively steady round, making birdies at 12 and 16 to get to u 2 under before dropping a shot at 18 to turn in a 1-under 34 on the back nine. He got that shot back with a birdie at the par-5 first hole, but made back-to-back bogeys at three and four to fall to even. Gueant picked up another birdie on a par 5 at the seventh hole to get back into red figures.
 
Nate Stember shot a 2-over 72 to open up the weekend and is tied for 50th. He made five straight pars to start, before going bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie, on holes 15-18 to card an even-par 35 on the back nine. Stember bogeyed the third hole and doubled No. 6 but bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 seventh to get back to 2 over on the front nine and for his round.
 
Yuki Moriyama turned in the final counting score for the Ducks with a 4-over 74, putting him in a tie for 78th. He was 2 under after 11 holes, but went 6 over in the next four holes to drop to 4 over before ending his day with three straight pars. Craig Ronne shot a 10-over 80.
 
The Ducks are eight shots off the lead of host Stanford, which sits at 5 under, while Blake Hathcoat of Saint Mary's and Nevada's Sam Harned share the individual lead at 7 under.
 
Ducks On The Leaderboard:
8. Oregon – 283 (+3)
T8. Jake Sollon – 68 (-2)
T14. Tom Gueant – 69 (-1)
T50. Nate Stember – 72 (+2)
T78. Yuki Moriyama – 74 (+4)
T141. Craig Ronne – 80 (+10)
 
Notable: Oregon shot 5 under on the back nine while finishing 8 over on the front nine … Sollon opened with a round in the 60s for the third time this year … Gueant birdied all three par-5s while also turning in an opening round in the 60s for the third time this season.
 
Up Next: Oregon will be a part of the early wave of tee times Friday, starting the second round at 7 a.m.