Senior Doug Ghim’s previous trip to Oregon with the Texas men’s golf team was one he may never forget. Only a sophomore at the time, Ghim watched his team’s title hopes evaporate in front of his own eyes as the Longhorns fell to the University of Oregon in the 2016 NCAA Championship.
While his return to the Beaver State this week lacked the competitive intensity of an NCAA Championship, it didn’t stop Ghim from trying to produce championship-level play. The talented senior shot a final-round 67 to lead the Longhorns to an eighth-place finish at the Nike Collegiate Invitational in Oregon.
Ghim led all Longhorns in scoring this week, finishing in a tie for 18th at 4-under par. His masterful final round included two birdies in the final four holes and an eagle at the par-5 eighth hole.
Fellow senior Scottie Scheffler came in second behind Ghim for the Longhorns, finishing at 1-under par thanks to a final-round 70. Scheffler’s tournament also featured an opening-round 69, which led the Longhorns in scoring after the first day.
Freshman Kristoffer Reitan had a strong tournament as well, tying for 33rd at 1-over par, the lowest overall score of his Texas career. His second-round 68 was also his career-low round with the Longhorns.
Sophomore Spencer Soosman tied for 33rd with Reitan. Junior Steven Chervony, who impressed last week in Dallas, concluded a difficult week on the course in a tie for 62nd.
The Longhorns’ team score of 4-under par trailed tournament winner and conference rival Oklahoma by 23 strokes. Texas did, however, lead fellow Big 12 foe TCU by four strokes.
Oregon’s Norman Xiong won individual honors after posting a tournament score of 13-under par.
Although his team has yet to truly contend in a tournament this season, Texas head coach John Fields still believes his squad can find a winning formula this season.
“We are continuing to find balance with our guys,” Fields said. “No question this team will win, likely multiple times this year.”
The Longhorns will return to action on Oct. 20 when they tee off in the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Championship in Alpharetta, Georgia.
