CARLSBAD, Calif. — For the second time in three years and third time in program history, the Oregon women’s golf team has advanced to match play at the NCAA Championships.
The Ducks earned the No. 7 seed and will face No. 2 seed LSU in the NCAA quarterfinals on Tuesday morning after tying for sixth place in stroke play on Monday at 19-over par, three strokes clear of the cut line for the top eight.
Oregon was locked in a battle for the final spots for most of the final round, and even fell below the cut line midway through the day after starting in a tie forseventh. But the Ducks’ two seniors, Ching-Tzu Chen and Minori Nagano, combined to shoot 5-under par over their final nine holes to get their team back into qualifying position and secure their spot in the quarterfinals.
“I am so proud of CCT and Minori for the way they led this team today,” head coach Derek Radley said. “What they were able to do on the final nine holes when theirteam needed them most was truly incredible. They stepped up in the biggest moments and they showed our three freshmen what it means to lead not only with your words, but with your actions.”
Star freshman Kiara Romero ended stroke play as Oregon’s top finisher, in sixth place overall at 4-under par after leading the Ducks with an even-par 72 on Monday. Her 4-under 284 for the tournament is the best individual 72-hole performance in program history, and her sixth-best finish is the second-best ever by a Duck at the NCAA Championships.
“Just an incredible four days for Kiara out there,” Radley said. “Even as a true freshman as the moments got bigger and the lights got brighter, she stayed committed to her game and her plan and went out there and executed. She is so naturally talented and works so hard to get better each and every day. She was a rock for our team this week and she deserves all of the accolades that are coming her way.”
But it was Chen and Nagano who proved to be the difference on Monday. After combining to shoot 9 over on the back nine – Oregon started its round on hole No. 10 – the senior duo made six birdies between No. 1 and No. 5 and combined to make just one bogey on the front side.
Oregon finished tied for sixth with UCLA, while LSU ended stroke play in a tie for first with Stanford. Tiebreaker procedures determined it would be the Ducks vs. the Tigers on Tuesday morning beginning at 6:50 a.m. PT from hole No. 1, with the winners advancing to face either UCLA or Texas A&M in the semifinals later in the day.
“Our team has gone through quite a few ups and downs this season, and their hard work and resiliency is being rewarded now with a trip to the quarterfinals,” Radleysaid. “They deserve this, and I’m so proud of what they’ve been able to do so far this week. We’re going to continue to lean our seniors, continue to play for each other and we’re going to come out and give our very best tomorrow and see how far we can take this thing.”
How it Happened: Starting their day on the more difficult of the two sides, the Ducks got birdies from Romero and Nagano on No. 10 but then made just one more birdie before the turn, by freshman Ting-Hsuan Huang on No. 17. Oregon dropped below the cut line for a period of time, but remained within striking distance as it battled with UCLA, Auburn, Wake Forest and Arkansas for the final three spots.
After making six straight bogeys on the back nine, Chen rattled off four birdies in five holes coming out of the turn. She saved a bogey on a very difficult par-5 at No. 6 after an errant tee shot, but rebounded to end her round with three straight pars.
Nagano also ran into trouble going into the turn, making a bogey at No. 17 and a double at No. 18. But after a pair of pars to open the front nine, she chipped in for a birdie at No. 3 and then stuck her approach at No. 4 to set up a short birdie putt. She rode that momentum to five consecutive pars to finish, leaving only Romero on the course with Oregon safely above the cut line.
Romero was fairly drama free in her final round, making a bogey at No. 12 after opening with a birdie but then making six straight pars. She opened the front sidewith a bogey, but then made four pars in a row before a birdie at No. 6. She cruised in with three straiht pars, lagging a birdie putt to tap-in range on No. 9 before beginning the celebration for the Ducks.
Huang matched Chen with a 3-over 75 to complete Oregon’s counting scores, and her birdie at No. 17 was a much-needed momentum boost for the Ducks as they finished the back nine.
What it Means: Oregon was the national runner-up in 2022, and now returns to NCAA match play after falling short of the NCAA Championships last season. Only Chen remains from that 2022 team, and she entered this weekend as the only player in Oregon’s lineup with NCAA Championships experience. It will take two wins in match play across a grueling 36-hole day on Tuesday to return to the national championship match, but the Ducks have shown all weekend long they are up to any challenge set in front of them.
Notable: Romero became Oregon’s single-season record holder for birdies on Monday, making two to give her 118 on the season and break a tie with Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu … Both Lu and Tze-Han (Heather) Lin were in attendance on Monday and walked mainly with Chen, their teammate from that 2022 team … Chen’s four birdies give her 356 in her career, moving her past Caroline Inglis (354, 2013-16) for second-most in program history.
NCAA Quarterfinals – Oregon vs. LSU
Teeing off from hole No. 1
6:50 a.m. – Ching-Tzu Chen (Oregon) vs. Carla Tejedo Mulet (LSU)
7:00 a.m. – Minori Nagano (Oregon) vs. Taylor Riley (LSU)
7:10 a.m. – Ting-Hsuan Huang (Oregon) vs. Latanna Stone (LSU)
7:20 a.m. – Karen Tsuru (Oregon) vs. Ingrid Lindblad (LSU)
7:30 a.m. – Kiara Romero (Oregon) vs. Aine Donegan (LSU)
