Host Oregon uses magical run to reach NCAA finals

5/31/2016 | by Golfweek

Oregon’s Casey Martin celebrates with Sulman Raza after he wins his match<br>advancing Oregon to the finals (Golfweek - Tracy Wilcox)

After rallying back against defending champs LSU in the morning, Oregon defeats No. 2 ranked Illinois to advance to the finals

EUGENE, Ore. (May 31, 2016) – The home team is one match away from having it all. Oregon blazed through the defending national champion and then upset No. 2 Illinois all in one day to reach the final at the 2016 NCAA Championship. It took much of the tricks in their arsenal, but the Ducks, playing as host this week on their home Eugene Country Club layout, are now one victory away from the program’s first team national title. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but it’s gonna soon, though,” said Casey Martin, Oregon’s head coach of 10 years. Early on in the day, such a result appeared unfathomable. Oregon was down in all five matches early in its quarterfinal match against LSU, only the 2015 national champions. “We started horrifically,” Martin said. “There was all of the excitement of elite eight and Aaron (Wise) winning and then all of a sudden you’ve got to wake up at 5 o’clock the next day.” But the Ducks didn’t panic. The match slowly turned and then suddenly shifted. Senior Zach Foushee won his last four holes, with help from a chip-in eagle at the par-4 8th (his 17th). Wise, a sophomore and the individual national champion, poured in a 30-footer for birdie on No. 7 to close out his match, 3 and 2. The Ducks would defeat the Tigers, 3-1-1. Somehow, Oregon had come back from what seemed like early death. “I just made a decision that I was going to think and believe the best all day long,” said Van WIlliams, Oregon’s assistant coach. “I figured any negative thought wasn’t going to help us.” That mindset carried over into the afternoon against juggernaut Illinois. Oregon held the lead most of the round despite being the underdog. Illinois, though, gave one last fight after going down 2-1. Dylan Meyer, a sophomore, put the battle to Wise all day and chipped in for birdie on 17 to go to the final hole 1 up. Almost simultaneously, senior Charlie Danielson, needing to win 18 to square his match, force a playoff and stave off elimination, hit an incredible second shot from the rough to 25 feet away.

Results: NCAA Division I Championship

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Aaron Wise	Lake Elsinore, CA	1500	70-70-64-71=275
2	Rico Hoey	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	1200	70-69-69-69=277
T3	Matthias Schwab	, Austria	900	71-68-67-73=279
T3	Jon Rahm	, Spain	900	71-68-69-71=279
5	Beau Hossler	Mission Viejo, CA	900	70-70-67-73=280

View full results for NCAA Division I Championship

About the NCAA Division I Championship

The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship is the pinnacle of collegiate golf in the United States, held annually in late May or early June. The event brings together the nation's top 30 teams and six individual qualifiers, all of whom have advanced...

Most Popular Articles

2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced

Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing

2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING

Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year

Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch

Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory

2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners

Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.

Luke Ringkamp Cruises to Rolex Tournament of Champions Title at TPC San Antonio

Nov 26, 2025One week after committing to Pepperdine, Luke Ringkamp won the Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine shots.

Filters

Related Tournament

NCAA Division I Championship

View Details

Loading latest news...