The Oregon women’s golf team capped off its first fall tournament win in three years with a 3-2 victory over Pac-12 rival Colorado. Led by senior Caroline Inglis, the team is now ready to tackle the challenges the 2015 season will bring.
Inglis is coming off a career junior year in which she won the individual Pac-12 Championship, Oregon’s first in school history. She believes she still has room to improve.
“I need to keep grinding and not get complacent,” Inglis, who plans on turning pro after her collegiate career, said. “That’s really important to me. There’s always something I can improve on.”
Inglis, one of six returning players, will be joined by two highly touted freshman recruits in tournament play this year.
The newcomers are Kathleen Scavo, whom Golfweek ranked 15th in the class of 2015, and Petra Salko, who ranked fifth in the Finnish Amateur rankings at the end of 2014. Both enter their freshman seasons with impressive resumes and plenty of tour experience.
“They both have their heads on their shoulders and know how to play good golf,” team captain Caroline Inglis, the lone senior on the team, said about Scavo and Salko. “I think they’re a great addition to the team.”
Scavo’s resume includes an appearance at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst last year, where she played with Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, and Juli Inkster, to name a few.
Scavo hopes to elevate her game to the next level with Oregon. She said that all starts with hard work and looking to others for guidance.
“I’ve learned to stay a little more even keel on the course and keep a positive attitude,” Scavo said at practice on Wednesday.
She admitted the transition from high school to college golf has been different, but understands what she must do this year and beyond.
“I’m going to take it one step at a time and enjoy my journey here,” Scavo said.
Petra Salko, the other newcomer on the team, joins the team having won or placed in a handful of tournaments in her home country of Finland.
This season Salko looks forward to being a part of something she has never been a part of before: a team.
“In Finland, I only play as an individual,” Salko said. “Here we play as team, so that’s a cool new experience for me.”
Newcomers and veterans alike agreed the team’s goal for the upcoming season is winning a national championship.
“With Nationals being at ECC (Eugene Country Club) it’s definitely extra motivation [for us],” Inglis said .
The Ducks travel to North Carolina next week to compete in the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, looking to improve on an already exciting season.
Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @xgasbus