Ducks Win First Title of 2017 Campaign

Tuesday, January 24

Tucson, Ariz.

7:00 AM

University of Oregon

Arizona Intercollegiate @ Sewailo

01/24/17 | Men's Golf

By: Erin Kunesh

TUCSON, Ariz. – The No. 20 Oregon men's golf team took home the 2017 Arizona Intercollegiate team title Tuesday afternoon at the Sewailo Golf Club. With an 8-under 276 round three, the Ducks finished with a total of 857 (+5). Senior Wyndham Clark claimed his first individual victory as a Duck with a 4-under 209, while freshman Norman Xiong finished fourth overall in his first collegiate golf tournament with a 1-under 212.

The Ducks finished 12 strokes ahead of Pepperdine (294-296-279--869, +17), who finished second overall. Washington came in third with a 21-over 873 (299-298-276).

Following Clark, Carl Yuan of Washington (73-72-65—210) and New Mexico's Andre Garcia (71-73-66—210) finished 3-under, tying for second. Sahith Theegala from Pepperdine finished with a 1-over 214 (71-74-69) to round out the tournament's top five.

Full team and individual results can be found at Golfstat.

As an individual, redshirt senior Nigel Lett played at the Arizona Medalist Intercollegiate tournament and finished tied for eighth (76-72-75—223, +10). The Starr Pass Golf Club hosted 30 individuals on the 6,707-yard, 71-par course on Sunday and Monday.

How it Happened: To start the day, the Ducks finished up the second round that was halted Monday evening due to darkness. The team ended with a round of 288, five strokes better than the first round (293).

Halfway through the third round, Clark held the No. 1 spot and Xiong moved up to a tie for third. The shift followed as he met par six times in a row, followed by back-to-back birdies. On the back nine, two birdies for sophomore Edwin Yi moved him into a tie for seventh overall. To finish the third round, Yi matched his 71 from the second round to finish with a total of 217 (+4). He ended tied at ninth with Chandler Phillips (Texas A&M) and Robert Geibel (Pepperdine).

A total of three birdies and 22 bogey-free holes on Tuesday marked the 4-under victory for Clark. In his first collegiate golf tournament, Xiong finished the third round with a 67, his lowest of the tournament.

Through 16 holes, sophomore Sam Foust was 11 over, but finished the third round with a 72, his tournament best. He finished tied for 29^th with Grant Smith (South Dakota State), Jack Snyder (New Mexico State), Ruben Sondjaja (Iowa State) and Henry Lee (Washington).

Redshirt sophomore Ryan Gronlund rounded out the Oregon lineup with a 70 in the third round. He ended in a seven-way tie for 42^nd (76-81-70—227, +14).

What it Means: The Ducks held onto their lead from day one and claimed the Arizona Intercollegiate title – their first of the 2017 season. Senior Wyndham Clark took home the individual title, freshman Norman Xiong finished fourth and Edwin Yi also landed within the top ten overall in a tie for ninth.

Following a successful fall season, the reigning NCAA champions are starting the 2017 campaign strong and could see a shift in the overall rankings come their next test in Hawaii.

Final Team Standings:
1. Oregon
2. Pepperdine
3. Washington
4. Texas A&M
5. New Mexico
6. California
7. UCLA
8. Brigham Young
9. Arizona
10. Iowa State
11. Denver
12. Washington State
13. Texas El Paso
14. New Mexico State
15. Louisiana Tech
16. Southern Illinois
17. South Dakota State
18. Gonzaga

Oregon Lineup:
1 Wyndham Clark (1) (RSR.) 70-71-68—209 (-4)
4 Norman Xiong (2) (FR.) 72-73-67—212 (-1)
T9 Edwin Yi (4) (SO.) 75-71-71—217 (+4)
T29 Sam Foust (5) (SO.) 79-73-72—224 (+11)
T42 Ryan Gronlund (RSO.) 76-81-70—227 (+14)

Ind. Nigel Lett (RSR.)

Final Individual Leaders:
1 Wyndham Clark (Oregon) 70-71-68—209 (-4)
T2 Carl Yuan (Washington) 73-72-65—210 (-3)
T2 Andre Garcia (New Mexico) 71-73-66—210 (-3)
4 Norman Xiong (Oregon) 72-73-67—212 (-1)
5 Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine) 71-74-69—214 (+1)

Quotes: Head coach Casey Martin –

"We played great today. Right from the start, we came out and made a lot of birdies. I am really happy for the guys. They had a couple tough weeks of weather back in Eugene to prep for this event and they really battled for this win."

Redshirt senior Wyndham Clark –

"I'm really excited for the team and what's the come. I'm hoping this is the first of many wins for us."

Freshman Norman Xiong -

"The tournament was great and the course was in great condition. The weather definitely played a factor, but we came out ready. It was really fun to play for my team."

Looking Ahead: Oregon will return to the links on Thursday, Feb. 2, through Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Amer Ari Invitational in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

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