University of Oregon
Duck Invitational
McCready Ties UO Sophomore Record as Ducks Tie for First at Shadow Hills
03/21/05 | Women's Golf
JUNCTION CITY, Ore. ? It's deja vu all over again at the women's Oregon Duck Invitational golf tournament being played at the par-72, 6,103-yard Shadow Hills Country Club.
For the second consecutive year, Oregon and Washington State enter the final round neck-and-neck as the Cougars look to claim their third consecutive Duck Invitational title, while the hosts are seeking to win their home tournament for the first time ever.
And for the fourth consecutive season, WSU's Kim Welch is atop the leaderboard.
The Ducks and Cougars played to a draw on Monday, with WSU forging a three-stroke advantage during a wet and frigid morning round, but Oregon roared back with the tournament's best round, a 291, as the weather broke in the afternoon. Day's end found the two Pac-10 rivals tied at 600, six strokes ahead of California and seven up on Fresno State.
Last season, Oregon entered the final round with a four-shot advantage over Washington State, but the visitors from the Palouse -- led by Welch -- shot a 296 and overtook the Ducks to win the 2004 title by a single stroke.
Welch, a senior from Sacramento, Calif., is vying for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Duck Invitational individual championship. She was the only player under par Monday, shooting rounds of 73-70 to take a slim one shot lead on Oregon's Kim McCready and Fresno State's Laura Luethke, who were both at even par 144.
McCready, from Placerville, Calif., tied a UO sophomore record by shooting a 69 in the second round. She matched the 69 former Duck Jerilyn White posted as a sophomore at the 1999 Pac-10 championships.
Oregon also received strong performances from senior Johnna Nealy and junior Erin Andrews. Nealy, from Grants Pass, Ore., carded rounds of 77-71 and was tied for eighth at 6-over 150. The second-round 71 matched Nealy's season low. Andrews had rounds of 78-75 and was tied for 18th at 153.
Also for the Ducks, junior Michelle Timpani and freshman Victoria Wenslow were tied for 35th at 157.
Many of the stronger teams in the field struggled as the morning's rough weather -- 45 degrees, rain showers and a 10 miles-per-hour wind from the west -- made the Shadow Hills course play longer than the listed 6,103 yards. No. 4 Washington opened with a 317 followed by a 308 and was ninth at 625, 25 shots off the pace. No. 18 Stanford struggled with a 315, but recovered nicely with a 294 -- second only to Oregon's 291 -- Monday afternoon and was fifth at 609.
The final round gets underway at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.
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