EUGENE, Ore. - The Gaels, after a two-week break, battled hard during The Duck Invitational, finishing in 5th place behind three ranked teams and in front of 46th ranked Grand Canyon. They finished one under as a team, placing top five in back-to-back tournaments. The 15 teams included four ranked programs in #36 Oregon, #45 Colorado State, #40 Little Rock, and #46 Grand Canyon. Tournament host Oregon barely snuck out with the win, finishing eight under par, just above tied second-place teams Wyoming and Colorado State, who were seven under. 

The Gaels came out tied first with Oregon on the first day of the tournament, with junior Aidan Lee starting two under through his first two holes, eventually improving to three under through his first five. He finished three under in total for the opening round, collecting three more birdies along the way. Teammate Go Nakatsukasa would finish two under, and Connor Reis also finished one under par in the first round to help the Gaels to a 280 (-4) opening score. 

The back nine proved to be easier for the Gaels on day one, with the team finishing seven under in rounds one and two. Lee and Zack Missigman would finish the day and round two both three under par and a total of five under through round two. Collectively, Saint Mary's would go on to conclude a successful first day at nine under par sitting in a tie with #36 Oregon. The Ducks entered the week in great form after winning the Bandon Dunes Championship two weeks prior. 

The second day and final round would prove to be a difficult one for the Gaels as they were caught scrambling on many holes. Lee would end up being the only one under par on the day, and they would collectively finish eight over par and drop to fifth in the standings. All in all, the Gaels put up a solid performance against a handful of very high-quality ranked opponents to record their second consecutive fifth place finish and fifth top-five finish of the year. 

Lee would have his best round of the week on day one, finishing three under in both rounds and totaling seven under par, good for t-3rd place and his second top-three finish of the year. Nakatsukasa and Reis followed for the Gaels in a tie for 25th place at two over par for the week. Missigman also had a three under par day during the second round and concluded the event t-49th at seven over. 

Full tournament results can be found HERE. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

The Gaels will head to the scorching desert of Maricopa, Arizona, to face off in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic on March 31st, hosted by Wyoming who finished second in the Duck Invitational. Full tournament information and live scoring links for the event can be found at smcgaels.com. 

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