SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Greyson Leach fired a 2-under 68 to position himself among the top five and lead the No. 25 Oregon men’s golf team on day one of the 77th Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club on Monday.
Leach turned in a bogey-free front nine with two birdies, but bogeys on holes 11 and 14 brought him back to even par on the day. The junior bounced back with an eagle on par-5 hole 15 and made par on each of his remaining holes to finish the day tied for fifth in the individual standings. Joining him among the top 20 was Aiden Krafft who used three birdies to card an even 70 and tie for 16th after the opening round.
As a group, Oregon finished the day tied for fourth as they shot a 6-over 356 in this six-count-five tournament format. The Ducks started slow as three players shot double-bogey-or-worse on hole two, but the UO men rebounded to combine for 14 birdies throughout the remainder of the round.
“We had a bit of a crazy start with lots of trouble on the second hole,” head coach Casey Martin said. “But honestly after that we played quite well. The guys seemed to be in solid form and I’m optimistic for the next two days.”
How It Happened: Leach was flawless through his first 10 holes, sinking two birdies without a bogey to take a firm position among the leaders. After bogeys on 11 and 14 offered a setback, Leach retaliated with an eagle on hole 15 to go back below par and put himself in a tie atop the standings. Pars on each of his last three holes ensured a solid finish as the junior led the Ducks in the opening round with a 2-under 68.
Krafft played a steady round as three birdies erased three bogeys to help him card a 70 in his first 18 holes of play, good enough to tie for 16th on the leaderboard. Owen Avrit and Nate Stember followed behind with a pair of 72s as the duo overcame a double bogey and triple bogey, respectively, on hole two to finish tied for 31st on the leaderboard. Stember responded to his rough start by sinking birdies on three of his next four holes and birdied his final hole of the day to cap his 2-over performance. Avrit played steady after the second hole to record nine-straight pars and also birdied the 18th to match Stember in the standings.
Greg Solhaug carded back-to-back birdies on his final two holes to finish the day 4 over par, while Hugh Adams birdied two of his last six holes to card a 75 and round out the lineup for Oregon. Eric Doyle, competing as an individual, impressed as he shot a 2-over 72 thanks to 14 pars on the afternoon.
Oregon ended the day tied with No. 21 California for fourth in the standings at 6 over. The Ducks sit just one stroke behind No. 8 Washington and two strokes behind second-place Stanford. No. 9 Arizona led the way in the first round and was the only team to shoot below par on Monday, finishing with a 2-under 348.
Duck Scorecard
Western Intercollegiate
Pasatiempo Golf Club – Par 70
T4. Oregon 356 (+6)
T5. Greyson Leach 68 (-2)
T16. Aiden Krafft 70 (E)
T31. Nate Stember 72 (+2)
T31. Owen Avrit 72 (+2)
T31. Eric Doyle (I) 72 (+2)
T50. Greg Solhaug 74 (+4)
T63. Hugh Adams 74 (+4)
T74. Thomas Jenkins Jr. (I) 77 (+7)
Next Up
Second round action will take place tomorrow with live scoring on GolfStat and broadcast coverage available beginning at 4 p.m. PT on GOLF Channel and Peacock.
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