NCAA Auburn Regional Begins Monday for Ducks

AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 14 ranked Oregon Ducks will make their 16th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance beginning on Monday as they head to Auburn, Ala., as the No. 3 seed at Auburn University Club.

Oregon is making its 28th all-time NCAA Regional appearance, and will need a top-five finish in Auburn to advance to the 2024 NCAA Championships (May 17-22) at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. UO is looking to return to the NCAA Championships after falling short at the NCAA Westfield Regional in 2023, following a historic run in 2022 that saw the Ducks finish as the national runners-up.

The Ducks own a 70-53-1 competitive record in 2023-24 and enters the NCAA Auburn Regional with momentum after a third-place finish at the 2024 Pac-12 Championships.

2024 NCAA Auburn Regional
Dates: Monday, May 6 - Wednesday, May 8
Course: Auburn University Club
Par/Yardage: Par 72/6,456 yards
Format: Three rounds of stroke play - one round each day | Top five advance to NCAA Championships

The Field (12 Teams)
(1) #2 South Carolina, (2) #7 Auburn, (3) #14 Oregon, (4) #23 Georgia, (5) North Carolina, (6) Michigan, (7) Houston, (8) Tulsa, (9) Miami, (10) Kennesaw State,(11) East Tennessee State, (12) Albany

How to Follow
Live scoring for the 2024 NCAA Auburn Regional will be available on Golfstat. Live updates will be provided on Twitter at @OregonWGolf.

Teeing Off for the Ducks (Scoring Average)
1. Kiara Romero (70.58)
2. Minori Nagano (72.42)
3. Karen Tsuru (72.33)
4. Ching-Tzu Chen (73.22)
5. Ting-Hsuan Huang (75.44)

Ducks Grab Momentum At Pac-12s
After a few tough showings to close the regular season, the Ducks gained some much-needed momentum by finishing third at the Pac-12 Championships on April 23 in Pullman, Wash. Oregon placed in the top three of the conference tournament for the third year in a row, and matched the sixth-best 54-hole score in program history with a 16-under 848. The Ducks shot an 11-under 277 in the second round before closing with a 10-under 278 in the final round, on the strength of a dazzling 7-under 65 by freshman Kiara Romero.

Romero Taking Nation By Storm
Kiara Romero has been one of the most dominant players in the nation as a true freshman, entering the NCAA Auburn Regional as the No. 6 ranked player in the country and No. 24 ranked amateur in the world. The 11th all-Pac-12 first-team selection in program history, Romero leads Oregon with a stellar 70.58 scoring average, and has shot par-or-better in 20 of 24 rounds of stroke play with seven sub-70 performances. The San Jose native has two wins already this season, as well as four top-10 finishes and seven top-20 showings. Romero kicked off her collegiate career as the individual co-medalist at the Annika Intercollegiate, opening with a terrific 5-under 67 in her first round en route to finishing at 8-under par. Romero claimed her second individual win at the San Diego State Classic, shooting 69-70-68 to win medalist honors by four strokes with a 9-under 207, tied for the fifth-best 54-hole performance in program history. The victory was fueled by a hole-in-one in the opening round, the first of Romero's college career and astounding ninth in her lifetime on a 193-yard par 3. Romero leads Oregon this season with 95 total birdies, one away from cracking the UO single-season top 10.

Tsuru Provides Lineup Boost
Another true freshman, Karen Tsuru, has given Oregon's lineup a boost late in the season. Tsuru made her collegiate debut as an individual at the Silverado Showdown, shooting 73-73-74 to earn a spot in the lineup at the Pac-12 Championships. In Pullman, Tsuru finished par-or-better in all three rounds (71-72-71) to tie for 11th overall at 2-under par.

Chen Chasing All-Time Birdie Record
Fifth-year senior Ching-Tzu Chen enters the NCAA Auburn Regional with 340 career birdies, fourth-most in program history and just one back of Kathleen Scavo (341, 2016-19) for No. 3. Chen is chasing Cassy Isagawa (377, 2012-15) for the all-time program record in her final postseason as a Duck. Chen is an all-Pac-12 honorable mention selection, entering NCAAs with a 73.22 scoring average and a pair of top-five finishes at the Windy City Classic (T-4th) and the Stanford Intercollegiate (T-3rd).

Nagano Putting Together Strong Senior Year
Senior Minori Nagano joined Chen as an all-Pac-12 honorable mention honoree this year, maintaining a strong 72.42 scoring average through 24 rounds. Nagano put together her best finish of the season at the PING/ASU Invitational, tying for fourth overall with a 5-under 211 (69-71-71). Nagano has shot par-or-better 15 times this season, and she ranks second on the team with five top-20 finishes.