Oregon has two all-Pac-12 selections for the first time in program history in sophomore Briana Chacon (below, left) and freshman Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu.
Numbers to Know
-9 – Oregon shot a 9-under 279 to storm back and win the PING ASU Invitational, the program’s first win since February 2016.
12 – Dating back to 2019-20, Oregon has finished in the top five in 12 of its last 13 tournaments, including six straight to open 2021.
13 – Oregon’s strong spring has vaulted the Ducks up to No. 13 in the national Golfstat rankings, third-best among Pac-12 teams.
23 – With four consecutive top-10 showings, sophomore Briana Chacon has flown up to No. 26 in the individual national rankings.
48 – Freshman Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu is Oregon’s highest-rated player at No. 48 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Oregon At NCAA Regionals
The Ducks head to Baton Rouge with the hopes of earning the program’s 11th berth to the NCAA Championships, and first since 2017. UO finished ninth in its last NCAA Regional appearance in 2019, and the Ducks’ best-ever NCAA Regional finish was a third-place showing in 2017.
Ducks Tie For Fifth at Pac-12 Championships
After struggling the first two days, the Ducks put together a strong 1-under 283 in the final round of the Pac-12 Championships on April 25 to move up a spot and tie for fifth overall. Oregon made up an 11-shot difference to tie with UCLA in fifth, the program’s best conference finish since taking second in 2015 and the third top-five conference showing since 1997. Oregon was led once again by sophomore Briana Chacon, who capped the weekend with a 3-under 68 to tie for fifth individually.
Top-Five Streak
Oregon’s win at the PING ASU Invitational on March 26-28 is the headliner in what has been an impressive streak by Derek Radley‘s squad. With its strong finish at the Pac-12 Championships, UO has now finished in the top five in all six tournaments in 2021, as well as eight straight and 12 of its last 13 dating back to last season. During that span, the Ducks have posted six top-three showings and four runner-up or better performances.
Chacon On All-American Pace
Briana Chacon impressed during a pandemic-shortened freshman season in 2019-20, but the Whittier, Calif., native has taken her game to the next level as a sophomore. Chacon enters the NCAA Regionals with five straight top-10 finishes – headlined by a runner-up showing at the PING ASU Invitational – after tying for fifth overall at the Pac-12 Championships. Chacon’s stellar spring earned her all-Pac-12 honors, and she is up to No. 23 individually in the national Golfstat rankings. Chacon’s team-best 72.50 scoring average would currently rank second in UO single-season history, and she leads the Ducks in rounds of par or better (10), birdies (56) and top-10 finishes (5). Going into the Baton Rouge Regional, Chacon has shot par or better in four straight rounds and nine of her last 12.
Lu Living Up To The Hype
Derek Radley made arguably the biggest recruiting splash in program history when he signed Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu on Nov. 18, 2019, and the Tawain native has lived up to the hype so far as a true freshman. Currently the No. 48 ranked amateur in the world after coming to Oregon as the top-ranked recruit out of Asia in the 2020 class, Lu is an all-Pac-12 selection after posting three top-10 finishes through her first six tournaments. Lu tied for runner-up honors at the Wildcat Invitational, shooting 67-73-69 to finish 7-under-par in Tucson, and she has already tied the UO single-season record with four eagles this spring. One of those eagles was her first career ace, on a par 3 at the Bruin Wave Invitational. Lu ranks second on the team in scoring average (73.89) and rounds of par or better (6), and third in birdies (41).
