10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JULY 31, 2017
CONTACT US
FOLLOW US
facebook.com/
DailyAstorianSports
Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
ghenley@dailyastorian.com
It’s ‘Go Time’ for
the Oregon Ducks
as fall camp opens
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
EUGENE — There is much
talk about a culture change at Ore-
gon, and it seems as if the players
are taking it to heart.
Quarterback Justin Herbert was
thrown into the starter’s role last
season as a shy freshman. He’s
since put 15 pounds on his lanky
6-foot-6 frame and new coach Wil-
lie Taggart joked that he’s been
strutting around without a shirt on.
Then there’s running back
Royce Freeman, already a phys-
ical force, who Taggart said has
changed both his attitude and his
approach.
Taggart is about to embark on
his first season as Oregon’s head
coach and he’s pleased with the
attitude shift he’s seen in his play-
ers since his arrival. Fall camp
opens on Monday and the work
begins in earnest.
“It’s go time. The honeymoon is
over,” Taggart exclaimed Sunday.
“We are ready to roll.”
Just two seasons after playing
in the first College Football Play-
off championship game, the Ducks’
run of 11-straight winning seasons
ended with a thud — a 34-24 loss
to the rival Oregon State Beavers.
Oregon finished 4-8 overall and
at the bottom of the Pac-12 North
standings at 2-7.
Three days after the season the
Ducks dismissed Mark Helfrich.
Taggart’s last two head coach-
ing jobs have also been rebuild-
ing projects. He was coach at
South Florida for the past four sea-
sons, guiding the team from a 2-10
record his first year to a 10-2 mark
and a spot in the Birmingham Bowl
last season.
“Anytime you come into a new
program, changing the culture is
probably the biggest thing and the
hardest thing to do because they
have been doing it a certain way
for a while,” he said.
The transition hasn’t always
been smooth.
Co-offensive coordinator David
Reaves resigned in January after he
was arrested on charges connected
to driving under the influence. Wide
receivers coach Jimmie Dougherty,
AP Photo/Anne M. Peterson
Oregon head coach Willie
Taggart speaks at Autzen Sta-
dium in Eugene Sunday. The
Ducks are preparing to open
fall camp under their first-year
head coach.
a passenger in Reaves’ car, left in
early February for UCLA.
Oregon’s strength and condi-
tioning coach was suspended in
January when three players were
hospitalized because of grueling
workouts.
And wide receiver Darren Car-
rington was dismissed from the
team recently after he was also
arrested to driving under the influ-
ence. Carrington, who had 15
TD catches for the Ducks, was
expected to be one of team’s top
receivers this season. He trans-
ferred to Utah.
Despite the rocky start Taggart
has clearly embraced his new job,
becoming the Ducks’ most visible
cheerleader on social media. He’s
enthusiastically pursued recruits,
evident Saturday night when Ore-
gon hosted “Saturday Night Live,”
a prospect camp at Autzen Stadium.
Herbert and Freeman will be
key to his offense — which Herbert
vowed will be even faster than Ore-
gon’s speedy “blur” offense that
pushed the Ducks onto the national
stage under coach Chip Kelly.
“We’re going to try and go even
faster this year,” Herbert said at the
conference media day this week.
“The emphasis is on going fast.
We’ve got so many guys to make
plays, and my job is to distribute
the ball.”
SCOREBOARD
GOLF
Oregon Coast Invitational
Final match results
Grand Champions
Championship Flight: Riley Elmes
def. Anthony Arvidson, 3&2. Semifinals:
Elmes def. Rex Puterbaugh; Arvidson
def. Randy Tucker.
First Flight: Samuel Hinton def. Bill
Winter. Semifinals: Hinton def. Preston
Van Hook; Torkelson def. Bill Winter.
Second Flight: Patrick Wood def. Chris
Shepard. Semifinals: C.Shepard def. A.J.
Shepard; Wood def. Cameron Nicklos.
Third Flight: Scott Vinson def. Craig
Froude. Semifinals: Froude def. Tommy
Mulflur; Vinson def. Richard McGee.
Fourth Flight: Peter Griggs def. Rob
Goodman. Semifinals: Goodman def. Mi-
chael Wood; Griggs def. Steve Mozinski.
Fifth Flight: J.P. Nantz def. Ronald Ste-
vens. Semifinals: Nantz def. Jim Senes-
cu; Stevens def. Brock Rice.
Women’s
Championship Flight: Lara Tennant
def. Gretchen Johnson, 3&2. Semifinals:
Johnson def. Cappy Mack; Tennant def.
Amanda Jacobs.
First Flight: Molly Edmunds def. Ali
Battaglia. Semifinals: Battaglia def. Dotty
Johnson; Edmunds def. Renee Case.
Second Flight: Hillary McNeill def.
Mary Swingle. Semifinals: McNeill def.
Jan Whitty; Swingle def. Kristin Finnegan.
Third Flight: Lori Petersen def. Zeta
Rennie. Semifinals: Rennie def. Robin
Endres; Petersen def. Kathleen Casey.
Fourth Flight: Helene Mayer def.
Leslie Bickmore. Semfinals: Mayer def.
LaVona Goforth; Bickmore def. Sue Ann
Bearden.
Fifth Flight: Luanne Fordney def. Jer-
ry Bridwell. Semifinals: Fordney def. Pat
Fuller; Bridwell def. Mary Wohler.
Junior Seniors
Championship Flight: Matt Elmes def.
Dennis Sturgell. Semifinals: Sturgell def.
Kurt Payne; Elmes def. Doug Edwards.
First Flight: Mike Ralston def. Rob Turk.
Semifinals: Ralston def. Mike Naimo; Turk
def. Allan LaPlante.
Second Flight: Jim Fromer def. Greg
Korkowski. Semifinals: Korkowski def.
Beau Harlan; Fromer def. Mark McGraw.
Third Flight: Brad Nantz def. Tal Gohl.
Semifinals: Gohl def. Dan Hall; Nantz def.
Bill Hurst.
Fourth Flight: Doug Palin def. Greg
Hope. Semfinals: Hope def. Jim Jack-
man; Palin def. Mark Murphy.
Fifth Flight: Storm Floten def. Brian
Pienovi. Semifinals: Pienovi def. Robert
Endres; Floten def. Tumbarello.
Sixth Flight: Wes LaRiviere def. Tim
Regan. Semifinals: LaRiviere def. Joe
Dandoy; Regan def. Dennis McAuliffe.
Seventh Flight: Mike Obrien def. Mi-
chael McNamara. Semifinals: Obrien def.
John Tennant, Jr.; McNamara def. Rick
Campbell.
Seniors
Championship Flight: Bret Stevens
def. Tom Mulflur. Semifinals: Stevens def.
Mike Maltman; Mulflur def. Patrick Terrell.
First Flight: Michael Terrell def. Wal-
ter Yeaw. Semifinals: Terrell def. Brooke
Benz; Yeaw def. Robert Tennant.
Second Flight: Chris Hayward def.
Roger Stalick. Semifinals: Hayward def.
Anthony Rennie; Stalick def. John Mayer.
Third Flight: Bill Bristol def. Royal
Latham. Semifinals: Latham def. Dan
Whealdon; Bristol def. Lynn Brigham.
Fourth Flight: Bob Jordan def. Stanley
Gott. Semfinals: Gott def. Scott Peterson;
Jordan def. Rick Nelson.
Fifth Flight: Daniel Lindquist def. Mike
Capri. Semifinals: Lindquist def. Joe
Uzelac; Capri def. Skip Nau.
Super Seniors
Championship Flight: Larry Wob-
brock def. Gaylord Davis. Semifinals: Da-
vis def. Peter Roscoe; Wobbrock def. Jeff
Leinassar.
First Flight: Russ Taggard def. Rick
Abrahamson. Semifinals: Abrahamson
def. Bill Weed; Taggard def. Jon Palm-
berg.
Second Flight: George Mack, Sr. def.
Joe Patrick. Semifinals: Patrick def. John
Dunkin; Mack def. Jon Woodson.
Third Flight: Lang Bates def. Larry
Veltman. Semifinals: Veltman def. Tom
Stearns; Bates def. Ron Nakata.
Fourth Flight: Gordon Harris def.
John Turman. Semfinals: Harris def. Fred
Hamel; Turman def. Kevin Kelly.
Fifth Flight: Tom Isenhour def. Jarrett
Jones. Semifinals: Jones def. Tony Pa-
sion; Isenhour def. John Holt.
Sixth Flight: Wayne Spencer def. Peter
Goforth. Semifinals: Goforth def. Michael
Millette; Spencer def. John Holmes.
Seventh Flight: Jeff Wohler def. Ken
Kadera. Semifinals: Kadera def. Miles
Sweeney; Wohler def. Jim Hauck.
Eighth Flight: Marty Sells def. Jerry
Briggs. Semifinals: Sells def. Russ Drag-
on; Briggs def. Gary Clunas.
Ninth Flight: Albert Carder def. John
McLoughlin. Semifinals: Carder def. Rick
Williams; McLoughlin def. David Aase.
Gary Henley/The Daily Astorian
Bret Stevens of Astoria won the Seniors’ title in the championship flight Saturday, a first for Stevens.
Family connections rule
final day of Coast Invite
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — “It’s all
about family,” said Lara Tennant,
in her address to the crowd follow-
ing her Women’s Division victory
in the annual Oregon Coast Invi-
tational, which concluded Satur-
day at the Astoria Golf & Coun-
try Club.
“Family” is why Tennant plays
in the annual tournament, and fam-
ily is why one of the oldest tourna-
ments on the West Coast remains
so popular.
The 107th Oregon Coast Invi-
tational definitely had a big fam-
ily theme this year, as multiple
families went home with some
prize-winning hardware Saturday.
In addition to Lara (Mack)
Tennant winning her 10th Wom-
en’s title, father George Mack Sr.
won the second flight in the Super
Seniors’ division, and sister Cappy
advanced to the semifinals of the
Women’s championship flight.
Elsewhere, Astoria’s Bret Ste-
vens won his first championship
flight trophy, taking first in the
Seniors division, while son Ron-
nie was runner-up in the Grand
Champions’ fifth flight.
And Saturday’s big winner was
definitely the Elmes’ father-son
combo.
Riley Elmes successfully
defended his Grand Champions’
title, winning the championship
flight for the second year in a row,
while dad Matt Elmes rallied to
win the championship flight of the
Junior Seniors division.
It’s been a tradition like no
other for the Mack family, which
now has over 20 championships in
the OCI.
Women’s Division
In Tennant’s victory Saturday,
she held a slim 2-up lead after the
morning 18-hole round, increased
it to 3-up, then finally finished
the match on the 34th hole, for a
3&2 win over Portland’s Gretchen
Johnson, playing in her first Coast
Invitational.
It’s the 10th Women’s title for
Tennant, her first coming in 1990.
She had to get past four-time OCI
champion Amanda Jacobs in Fri-
day’s semifinals, one day after a
quarterfinal victory over Charisse
Spada.
Tennant used a near-miracle
shot on the sixth hole in Satur-
day’s afternoon round to maintain
her lead over Johnson.
Her tee shot on No. 6 landed on
the other side of a ridge bordering
the right side of the fairway.
“I was more concerned about
Gary Henley/The Daily Astorian
Laura Tennant sends her approach shot to the green on the 13th
hole in Saturday’s afternoon round, as her caddy (and sister) Cap-
py Mack looks on.
Gary Henley/The Daily Astorian
Riley Elmes tees off on the
seventh hole, on his way to his
second straight Grand Cham-
pions title.
getting it up and over the hill,” she
said. “And I hit a6-iron to within
15 feet. I knew I hit it well, but you
never know how it’s going to end
up.”
Later, Tennant made a birdie on
14 and parred 15 and 16, “and just
wanted to make par from there,”
she said. “(Johnson) played well.”
The entire week was “slower at
the beginning, then I played bet-
ter each day,” Tennant said. “And
that’s what’s most important, to
play really well on Friday and Sat-
urday. The wind was so tough this
year. It was consistently the most
windy golf of any coast tourna-
ment I’ve ever played in.”
Grand Champions
In the Grand Champions’
match, Elmes was 1-down to
Anthony Arvidson after the morn-
ing round, but rallied and was 1-up
through the fifth hole of the after-
noon round.
Elmes also clinched the win on
the 34th hole, 3&2.
Seaside’s Sam Hinton bounced
back from his first round loss in
the Grand Champions division to
win the first flight.
Elmes’ father, Matt, was even
with Dennis Sturgell through 11
holes in the Junior Seniors cham-
pionship, but then won the next
two holes for a 2-up lead.
It was the second Junior
Seniors title in three years for Matt
Elmes.
In the Seniors’ championship
flight final, Stevens had the home
course advantage against Tom
Mulflur.
“Most of the club mem-
bers know all the bounces on
this course,” Stevens said. “You
know where to play it, so it’s a
little bit of an advantage. But the
out-of-town people have also
played this course a lot. It’s highly
competitive.”
Stevens was 3-up through 11
holes, but Mulflur rallied and
eventually pulled even.
“We both bogeyed 17, then
parred 18 to go extra holes,” Ste-
vens said. From there, both golfers
parred the first extra hole, and Ste-
vens parred the 20th hole (played
on the 18th) to win.
“It was an even match the
whole way,” Stevens said. “(Mul-
flur) was a little longer off the tee,
I just got the ball up and down
around the greens one more hole
than he did.”
Stevens’ highlight shot was
“the putt on the 20th hole for
birdie. I just put it up there close,
about a foot away, and made that
for a par.”
Sturgell said, “Bret also won
the Senior (Astoria) Club Cham-
pionship, so he’s had a good golf
season.”
“I’ve been playing this for
about 20 years,” Steven said, “and
this is only the second time I’ve
made it to Saturday, but the first
time for a championship flight.”
The Super Seniors title went
to Larry Wobbrock, who made a
nearly 35-foot putt on the first hole
to set the tone in his match with
Gaylord Davis.