The No. 22 Oregon men’s golf team got back on track with an adequate third-place showing at the Bath Regional on Wednesday. Oregon’s Owen Avrit paced the Ducks through his individual fifth place [tied] performance of 6-under, 207, while the team’s total was 14-under, 838, to place third.
Off the tee, junior Greg Soulhaug had his eyes set on the pin and finished hole No. 14 with a clutch eagle to put the Ducks up three strokes on the cut line as they made the turn for the final round.
Solhaug’s eagle added to seven birdies over the last five holes to cushion Oregon’s placement after their rank on the leaderboard diminished earlier in the round.
“We weathered a bad stretch in the middle of the round and are so excited to be taking this crew back to Arizona,” head coach Casey Martin said.
Over the three-day tournament, the Ducks represented the Pac-12 conference well, with four players finishing in the top 20 of competition. In addition to Avrit and Solhaug, Nate Stember and Greyson Leach strided the Ducks to their third place showing.
Following his first team conference nod, Avrit birdied five times and eagled the par-5 14th hole in the opening round, cementing his all-star status. He finished day one tied for second as he shot a 5-under, 66. Stember proved his second team conference billing with four birdies on the first day of play to finish tied for 12th place.
“Nate and Owen carried us. Aiden [Krafft] and Greyson had a tough day, but they will do better tomorrow,” Martin said. “Regionals puts you to the test and you have to be mature and keep your focus.”
Freshman Aiden Krafft and sophomore Leach shot 4-over, 75s, as they struggled on day one.
On day two, Oregon shot a 10-under, 274, at the Eagle Eye Golf Club to give itself an 11-shot lead over sixth place. Avrit led the way yet again with 13 pars and four birdies on the day.
Stember exhibited quality play as he tied for 11th with Solhaug behind his three birdies and two bogeys on Tuesday. Solhaug found his rhythm when he birdied hole No. 13 and 14, while he repeated this feat on holes No. 5 and 6.
Leach took his coach’s words to heart as he made his presence felt on day two. He shot a 1-over, 143, behind his eagle, two birdies and six pars.
Leach continued his success for Oregon on day three, where he shot a 2-under, 68, the Ducks’ top performance of the round. He finished tied for 20th place at 1-under, 212. His play should come as no surprise as the Pac-12 recognized him as an honorable mention this season.
Solhaug too received this honor, which is fitting given he placed the Ducks in position [fourth place] to finish in the top three of the event following his second eagle of the season. He tied for 11th place as he shot a 4-under, 209.
Stember and Avrit each birdied on the final day in Bath, Michigan, while Stember did it twice [No. 15]. Stember placed 17th behind his 3-under, 210, performance. Avrit finished with four pars to tie for fifth place and became the first Duck since Edwin Yi placed second in 2019 to individually finish in the top five of an NCAA Regional tournament.
Oregon’s lone athlete who placed outside the top 20 was Krafft, who tied for 64th. He shot a 11-over, 224 over the three day event.
The Ducks were one of five programs to advance from Eagle Eye Golf Club giving them their first back-to-back NCAA Championship bid since they won five straight in 2014-2018.
Oregon will next be on the links Friday, May 26, at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
