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COLLEGE GOLF A Wise freshman leads the Ducks Comment By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard Posted May. 13, 2015 at 5:13 PM By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard Posted May. 13, 2015 at 5:13 PM » Social News CRESWELL — The Oregon men’s golf program was already on the upswing with Brandon McIver, Zach Foushee, Thomas Lim and Jonathan Woo among the returnees from last year’s team, which qualified for the NCAA championships. Practice rounds were taken to a new level when freshman Aaron Wise arrived on campus, even for coach Casey Martin, a former PGA Tour veteran. “We tend to play a lot together, and I see his game on almost a daily basis,” Martin said. “I have to play really great to beat him. You just grow an appreciation. The shock is not when he wins, the shock is when he finishes 30th. “But he’s just a freshman, he’s learning and I’m just excited about the future for him.” The Ducks will continue a memorable year as the No. 2 seed at the NCAA regional today through Saturday in Noblesville, Ind. Wise, who has won two tournaments this season, is coming off a second-place individual finish at the Pac-12 championships (8-under 272) in Pullman, Wash., where Oregon finished second behind Stanford. “Honestly, I came in with no expectations,” Wise said. “I just wanted to see how it went, and I’m not going to complain with how it has gone so far. I’ve done a lot of good things, I’ve gotten better since I’ve been here and I like the track I’m on.” Before a recent practice at Emerald Valley Golf Club, Martin compared Wise to former Oregon all-Americans Daniel Miernicki and Eugene Wong. The rising star from Lake Elsinore, Calif., has also earned the respect of his teammates. “It’s pretty awesome having a freshman that can go out and be such a consistent performer,” said McIver, a junior standout who qualified for the U.S. Open last summer. “It gives our team confidence and definitely increases a lot of the competition. It always sucks getting beat by a freshman. He’s a great player and he pushes all of us to work harder and try to beat him.” Wise might have pushed himself too hard, too early. His father noticed his love for the game was waning and took him out of competitive tournaments for two years during middle school. After returning to golf at Santiago High, Wise became a highly touted recruit and said he chose Oregon over a list of schools in California and Texas because he felt a connection to Martin and assistant coach Van Williams. “I think it suited me well,” Wise said of his break from the game. “You can get stuck out there just playing golf and going through the motions. That’s not what you want to do, especially if you want to be the best. That kind of put the fire back in me and made me realize golf isn’t something I can just do every day, it’s not a given. “It’s something I need to work on and I need to try my best at.” Wise’s best could help lead Oregon to another top-five finish at a regional, which would qualify the Ducks for the NCAA championships May 29-June 3 in Bradenton, Fla. “Aaron has been a great player since he showed up. To have two wins as a freshman and a second at Pac-12s is about as good a résumé as I’ve had since I’ve been here for a freshman,” Martin said. “He wants more and he’s certainly talented enough to get it. Hopefully he can stay in the moment, stay relaxed and play great as the pressure gets more.” By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard Posted May. 13, 2015 at 5:13 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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