Oregon Golf Spring 2021 Newsletter
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OREGON GOLF SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER TOM GUEANT SOFIE KIBSGAARD NIELSEN DUCKS READY TO CHARGE THE FAIRWAYS Men’s Golf Ready to Return to Talented Women’s Roster Eager to Competition Compete Again The past year has been unlike any other for the Oregon The Oregon women’s golf team was just starting to hit its men’s golf team. stride last March when COVID-19 brought the nation to a halt. From the cancellation of the 2019-20 season back in March to not being able to compete in tournaments in The Ducks shot 2-under par in the final round of the the fall, the Ducks have had to adjust on the fly to all the Tucson Invitational to earn their second straight changes over the last nine months. top-three finish and sixth top-five showing in seven tournaments. Oregon’s young roster was beginning “This has been a bizarre period of time,” said head coach to round into form midway through head coach Derek Casey Martin. “Everyone is doing the best they can to Radley’s second season. adapt to all the changes going on. We put together a rigorous internal team competition in the fall and the The global pandemic abruptly ended the spring season, guys played well and we saw a lot of low scores so I was leaving the Ducks wondering what could have been. encouraged by that.” “Our team was gaining serious momentum when everything suddenly came to a stop,” said Radley. “Our Now with the start of the 2021 season just weeks away, first priority was to get all of our Ducks home safe to be the Ducks are looking forward to some sense of normalcy with their families. Since then we have all communicated as they return to the course Jan. 25-26 at the Arizona remotely, but continued to stay positive and work harder Intercollegiate. Oregon will play eight spring tournaments, than ever knowing one day we would be back, and we will highlighted by the Duck Invitational, March 22-23, be ready.” at Eugene Country Club, culminating with the Pac-12 Championship April 26-28 in Santa Rosa, Calif. With more than half of the 2021 roster coming from overseas, the Ducks spent much of the last eight months “The guys are going to have to shake off the rust those competing individually in local tournaments, getting first few times out,” said Martin. “It’s been tough without ahead on school work and doing their best to connect having that level of competition for such a long period of virtually as a team. CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE WOMEN’S GOLF CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE Women’s Golf Roster The Ducks have now all returned then won the West Coast Women’s Briana Chacon, sophomore; to Eugene, and both Radley and Amateur during the summer. Whittier, California; assistant coach Monica Vaughn are La Serna High School Also returning to Oregon are junior eager to finally return to hands-on Tze-Han (Heather) Lin and sophomore Ching-Tzu (Christine) Chen, coaching. sophomore; Hsinchu, Taiwan; Briana Chacon, giving Radley four IMG Academy “Coach D and I are so excited to experienced players to work into his have our team back this spring.” said lineup, along with junior Bella Setio Tze-Han (Heather) Lin, junior; Vaughn. “Not being able to see each and sophomore Ching-Tzu Chen. Hsinchu, Taiwan; other or play together for more than The Ducks lost Amy Matsuoka – who Xiangshan High School nine months has only strengthened earned first professional win over Hsin-yu (Cynthia) Lu, freshman; our motivation to go out and prove the summer after graduating – but Taipei, Taiwan; Taipai Municipal that we are back and better than Radley brought in arguably the most Heping High School ever. We have a stacked lineup that’s talented recruit in program history itching to compete at the highest Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen, to round out the 2021 roster: Taiwan level.” sophomore; Ikast, Denmark; native Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu. Herningsholm Erhvervsskole Oregon closed 2019-20 ranked No. 14 Lu is the No. 1 ranked player coming in the nation - the program’s highest Alexis Phadungmartvorakul, out of Asia in the 2020 collegiate end-of-season ranking since 2014-15 senior; Taft, California; signing class, and she enters her Ambassador Bilingual School – while setting a new single-season first year at Oregon as the No. 51 record with a 290.48 team scoring Bella Setio, junior; ranked amateur player in the world. average. Rancho Santa Fe, California; Nielsen is the next-highest ranked San Marino High School Radley returns the core of that Duck at No. 142. talented team, led by elite “Cynthia is the best-ranked recruit sophomore Sofie Kibsgaard ever to join our program and we are Coaching Staff Nielsen. The No. 24 ranked player thrilled to have her as a part of our Derek Radley, head coach in the nation at the end of a stellar Duck family,” said Radley. “She is freshman season, Nielsen was a Monica Vaughn, assistant coach one of the most talented incoming WGCA all-America honorable mention freshmen I have ever seen and has selection after posting the second- proven herself against the best best individual scoring average amateurs in the world. She has the in program single-season history tools, work ethic, and passion to be (72.52). one of the best in college golf.” “Sofie is a natural talent and Like everything else, this college someone who pays attention to golf season will undoubtedly detail,” said Radley. “She is extremely look different from any other as diligent with everything she does the nation continues to try to and has just begun to scratch the get COVID-19 under control. But surface. I am beyond excited to the Ducks are back and eager to watch her continue to dominate and compete, and the amount of young win at the collegiate level.” ALEXIS PHADUNGMARTVORAKUL talent on the roster makes Oregon Nielsen will be looked to as a leader a team to watch throughout the in 2021 along with senior Alexis spring. Phadungmartvorakul, who enjoyed a solid finish to her junior season and Women’s Spring 2021 Schedule February 6–7 March 8-9 April 23-25 Oregon State, Corvallis, OR Wildcat Invitational, Tucson, AZ PAC-12 Championships, Stanford, CA February 15-17 March 26-28 Sun Devil Winter Classic, Ping ASU Invitational, Tempe, AZ May 10-12 Phoenix, AZ NCAA Regionals, TBA April 5-7 March 1-3 Silverado Showdown, May 21-26 Bruin Wave Invitational, NCAA Championships, HSIN-YU (CYNTHIA) LU Napa Valley, CA Los Angeles, CA Scottsdale, AZ MEN’S GOLF CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE time, but they’re chomping at the bit average in his first two seasons as a CRAIG RONNE and are excited to get back out there Duck. and compete.” A talented group of newcomers will Oregon’s roster will feature a good also be in the mix heading into the mix of veterans and newcomers while spring, with a pair of transfers and losing just two players from last three freshmen joining the program. year’s team. The Ducks will no doubt Owen Avrit turned in a stellar lean on Tom Gueant, Craig Ronne freshman season at Long Beach and Yin Ho Yue, each entering their State in 2019-20 while senior Jake third year with the program, and Nate Sollon played four seasons at Rider Stember, who is back for his second and has earned either all-region or year with the Ducks after finishing all-conference honors each of the Men’s Spring 2021 Schedule second on the team in scoring last last two years. January 25-27 year as a freshman. Yuki Moriyama, Greg Solhaug and Arizona Intercollegiate, Tucson, AZ Gueant led the team with a 72.35 Will Stribling are all highly-touted February 19-21 scoring average a year ago, and freshman who have won numerous The Desert Intercollegiate, La Quinta, CA played his best golf at the end of last events over their junior golf careers. March 7-9 year, finishing with back-to-back top- Moriyama was an AJGA All-America Bandon Dunes Championship, Bandon, OR 10 finishes in the final two events honorable mention selection in 2019 March 22-23 of the season. Ronne heads into and competed in the U.S. Junior Duck Invitational, Eugene, OR the year with a 73.50 career scoring Amateur three straight years from average over 48 career rounds while 2017-19, reaching the round of 16 March 25-27 Yue comes in with a 73.03 scoring in 2018. Solhaug won several junior The Goodwin, Stanford, CA events over the last three years April 5-6 and Stribling was named the 2019 Cowboy Classic, Scottsdale, AZ Southern California Junior Tour Player April 12-14 of the Year. Western Intercollegiate, Santa Cruz, CA “We’re starting to mature,” said April 26-28 Martin. “As a team we aren’t as young PAC-12 Championship, Santa Rosa, CA as we have been the last couple of May 17-19 years. We’ve got a good nucleus of NCAA Regional, TBA guys in Tom Gueant, Craig Ronne and May 28 - June 2 Nate Stember and others who are NCAA Championship, Scottsdale, AZ NATE STEMBER maturing in addition to a bunch of young guys who will push them.” Men’s Golf Roster Yuki Moriyama, freshman; Nate Stember, freshman; Kanagawa, Japan; American Heritage Portland, Oregon; Owen Avrit, sophomore; Academy (NV) Lincoln High School Arroyo Grande, California; Arroyo Grande High School Tom Parker, freshman; Will Stribling, freshman; Christchurch, New Zealand; Christchurch Tustin, California; Marcel Boet, junior; Boys HS Foothill High School Christchurch, New Zealand; Craig Ronne, sophomore; St.