Ducks 11th and in the Hunt after NCAA West Regional First Round

Thursday, May 6

Stanford, Calif.

TBA

University of Oregon

NCAA West Regional

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

Ducks 11th and in the Hunt after NCAA West Regional First Round

05/06/04 | Women's Golf

By: GoDucks.com

STANFORD, Calif. ? Therese Wenslow and Erin Andrews both shot 2-over 74s Thursday as Oregon stood 11th after the first round of the NCAA West Regional, contested at the 6,159-yard, par-72 Stanford Golf Course.

The 10th-seeded Ducks shot a 17-over 305 and finished the day in the middle of a pack of teams in contention for the top eight spots. The top eight teams from the three-round event at Stanford will advance to the NCAA Championships May 18-21 at Auburn. Oregon ended its round just two shots out of eighth place, a position held by Ohio State, the nation's No. 4 team and defending Big Ten champion.

"It's a good feeling when you get off to a start like this because it puts us in position to finish in the top eight," said Oregon coach Shannon Rouillard. "We still want to play better tomorrow and focus on playing a solid round of golf, but if we can improve a little bit each day from here, we should be in pretty good shape."

Wenslow had three birdies, five bogeys and 10 pars for her 74, which was the best score of the nine career rounds she has played at the Stanford course. The sophomore from Bunkeflostrand, Sweden, birdied the second, 11th and 12th holes. Her previous low at Stanford was a 76 last fall.

Andrews was having a stellar opening round until her last five holes. Starting her day on the back nine, the sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev., bogeyed No. 11 and remained 1-over until No. 18, when she rolled in the first of three consecutive birdie putts to get to 2-under. But Andrews ran into trouble down the stretch with bogeys on four of her last five holes. Still the 2-over 74 was one of the better scores of the day, as both Andrews and Wenslow were tied for 21st overall in the individual standings.

"Erin and Therese certainly came through for us on a day when we really needed their scores," said Rouillard. "It was really exciting to watch Erin get those three straight birdies. She was really in control and composed today."

Oregon also counted a 78 from Johnna Nealy, a junior from Grants Pass, Ore., and a 79 from sophomore Michelle Timpani. Nealy finished the day tied for 55th individually, while Timpani was tied for 64th. The Ducks discarded freshman Kim McCready's 81.

"We've certainly had our ups and downs here," said Oregon coach Shannon Rouillard, whose team is playing Stanford for the third time this season. "But we tried to remember our good rounds and what made us successful in the past in hopes that we would play the course well in the future."

No. 2 UCLA grabbed the first round lead by shooting a 6-under 282. The Bruins got a 5-under 67 from individual leader Hannah Jun and a 2-under 70 from Charlotte Mayorkas. No. 3 California is second at 2-over 290, followed by No. 23 Stanford at 293 and No. 12 Washington at 298.

Just six strokes separated teams finishing between fifth and 12th. Pepperdine led that group at 300. Low-seeded teams Washington State and Denver took advantage of good scoring conditions in the afternoon and were tied for sixth at 302. Ohio State was eighth at 303, followed by No. 8 Georgia and Texas Tech tied for ninth at 304, Oregon 11th at 305 and No. 15 Texas 12th at 306.

The NCAA West Regional continues with the second round Friday. The Ducks will tee off at 11:50 a.m. and will be paired with Georgia and Texas.

NCAA West Regional
Stanford Golf Course
Stanford, Calif.
First Round
6,159-yards, par-72

Team Scores
1, UCLA, 282.
2, California, 290.
3, Stanford, 293.
4, Washington, 298.
5, Pepperdine, 300.
6 (tie), Washington State, 302; Denver, 302.
8, Ohio State, 303.
9 (tie), Texas Tech, 304; Georgia, 304.
11, Oregon, 305.
12, Texas, 306.
13, San Francisco, 308.
14 (tie), Brigham Young, 310; San Diego State, 310. Cal State Northridge, 310.
17, San Jose State, 311.
18, Arizona State, 312.
19, New Mexico State, 318.
20, Portland State, 320,
21, Oral Roberts, 328.