In His Own Words: Alex Moore And His Record-Setting 63

March 23, 2011

Junior Alex Moore shot the greatest round of golf in Oregon State history this past Monday at the Oregon Duck Invitational, finishing with a 9-under 63 at the par-72, 7,020-yard Eugene Country Club.

The Richland, Wash., native fired the record-breaker in the second round and tops former Beavers Tim Mickelson, who shot an 8-under 64 at the Pac-10 Championships in 2000, Charles Kingsbaker, who had a 7-under 64 at the U.S. Intercollegiate in 1997, and Jonathan Green's 7-under 65 at the Northwest Classic in 2004.

Moore, who is majoring in Business, finished with a 7-under 73-63-73--209 at the Oregon Duck Invitational, which is tied for the 10th best finish in school history in a three-round tournament. He finished the tournament tied for second place overall for his highest-ever finish in a collegiate event.

Now, in his own words, Alex Moore goes hole-by-hole, shot-by-shot to talk about his record-breaking round ...

I finished the morning round with a 73 and felt okay with how I was playing, but I wasn't getting anything out of it. I was making some silly mistakes I shouldn't be making. The score didn't show how I was hitting the ball. I knew I was starting on the third hole in the afternoon round and I went to the tee thinking to get something going.

Hole 3 -- Par-4, 425 yards
I pulled out driver and thought to myself to just get one in the fairway. It's an awkward driving hole so I wanted to be in the fairway to have the best chance to get to the pin. I hit it to the right side of the fairway and then I hit wedge to about 25 feet and two-putted for par.
Par (Even through 1)

Hole 4 -- Par-4, 408 yards
I remember distinctly the hole was playing very tough and into the wind. It's a narrow driving hole with a bunker on the right. I hit this low bullet driver that went right down the middle and was probably the best shot I hit to that point. I hit a 9-iron to about 25 feet, left of the hole. It was a putt that I had to go down a hill, left to right, and then back up another ridge to the hole. It was a putt I was trying to get close and it happened to go in.
Birdie (1-under through 2)

Hole 5 -- Par-3, 192 yards
The head coaches all sit around on the par 3's and tell their players what the other players on their team have hit. We were waiting for the group ahead of us to putt out and I was talking to (Oregon head coach) Casey Martin on a bench next to the tee. I asked him how it went this morning. He said (Washington golfer) Chris Williams shot a 67 and that's when it clicked in my head to start making some birdies, because I knew I was about five or six shots back at that point. I hit a 6-iron just left of the green and then chipped to about five feet above the hole. I remember it was a tough putt because visually it looked it was going to break right and I knew it would break left based on instinct. I made that putt and that gave me a lot of confidence, because I birdied the hole before that and made a good par save. I felt like this kept the momentum going.
Par (1-under through 3)

Hole 6 -- Par-5, 545 yards
I hit a great drive right down the middle. This hole in particular is one that not a lot of guys go for it in two. I would say I'm one of the longer guys off the tee, so I had the option of whether to go for it or layup. The green is like an island surrounded by water on three of the four sides. I felt like I was making putts so I didn't want to risk it. I hit an 8-iron to about 95 yards and hit my sand wedge to about five feet below the hole and made that for birdie.
Birdie (2-under through 4)

Hole 7 - Par-3, 200 yards
This hole is tough because there is water in front of the green and it's one of those holes you just want to make par. The pin was back left and I hit a 6-iron to the middle of the green. I just lagged my putt to about a foot and tapped in for par. That's a good hole to get par and I kept the momentum going.
Par (2-under through 5)

Hole 8 -- Par-5, 485 yards
It's kind of a dogleg left par-5 and you have to shape it from right to left. I hit a great drive right down the middle and I shaped it perfectly around the corner. The pin was back left and I had 208 yards to the pin and I hit a 4-iron, probably the most solid ball I've hit in a long time, right over the flag to about 12 feet behind the hole. I had the downhill right to left putt and that's when I started thinking that I can low if I can make this. This would be huge. I made that. The whole time I'm trying to keep the momentum of the round going; never lose the momentum of the round, the let's go attitude.
Eagle (4-under through 6)

Hole 9 -- Par-4, 450 yards
This is probably the toughest driving hole out there. It plays into the wind and is one you just want to get par on. I hit a great drive down the middle and I was in between clubs. It was a back pin over a ridge and I had 6-iron in my hands at first because it was into the wind. When I stood over the ball, I felt the wind stop blowing so I pulled off the shot and grabbed my 7-iron and flushed it to about 12 feet just right of the hole. I made that for birdie.
Birdie (5-under through 7)

Hole 10 -- Par-4, 401 yards
This hole was interesting because I hit it right down the middle. I thought if I hit my approach past the hole it could catch the ridge and spin back and be close. I hit a sand wedge perfectly and almost made it. It hit on top of the ridge and spun back down the ridge and took a peek at the hole as it rolled by to about five feet. It was an uphill putt, left to right, and I missed it. That was a little bit of a shock to the system, because that would have gotten me to 6-under.
Par (5-under through 8)

Hole 11 -- Par-4, 424 yards
It's a dogleg right par-4 and I got a little bit greedy with trying to cut the corner of the dogleg. It caught the tree and ended up in the trees on the right. I had this shot where I had to hit it over one Christmas tree-kind of tree, and over the limbs of a tree that was taller than that one. I had 10-foot window to hit my ball through. On top of that it was over water to the pin; there's a little pond in front of the green. And I also had to shape it so I could get it close to the pin from right to left. I was going for everything at that point. I hit a wedge from 148 and I hit it to about nine feet, just right of the hole. I made that for birdie.
Birdie (6-under through 9)

Hole 12 -- Par-3, 183 yards
It was a back left pin and I hit 6-iron and it flew right over the pin but was long. I had a downhill chip and I almost made it. It lipped out and should have gone in. At this point, I'm thinking the hole is the size of a garbage can or something. Every chip and every putt is going at it and looks like it's going in.
Par (6-under through 10)

Hole 13 -- Par-5, 525 yards
This is first time I saw (Oregon State head coach Jon) Reehoorn at this point of the round. I hit my drive down the middle of the fairway and we always converse about the strategy for the second shot on par-5's of whether to go for it or not. We decided that we were going for it so I pulled out my 4-wood from about 235 and I hit it into the middle of the green. I left myself about a 35-foot eagle putt and Reehoorn was up at the green with me reading the putt. I left my putt probably two-inches short, right in the jaws. That's when I tapped in for birdie and said to Reehoorn `I guess that was my last TigerVision for the round.' He laughed and said `I bet you have six more left.'
Birdie (7-under through 11)

Hole 14 -- Par-4, 405 yards
At that point, I'm 7-under par and it really is all a blur of how I got to that point. I was just reacting and not thinking too much about it. Once I thought about it, I felt like that's when the problems started. I hit my tee shot right, probably 10 yards right of the fairway. Then I had to hit this low fade around this tree to get to the green. It was a punch 6-iron from about 155, I think. I just came up 10 yards short of the green. It was a tricky shot and I chipped it to about 10 feet above the hole. I left that putt just short and made bogey. At that point, I thought `it's okay, you're fine.'
Bogey (6-under through 12)

Hole 15 -- Par-4, 440 yards
No. 15 is statistically the most difficult hole; I knew that standing on the tee. I hit my drive right down the middle. I hit a 7-iron from 177 and, as it was in the air, I thought it was good. But it caught a gust of wind and ended up in the right bunker. So then I hit my bunker shot to about five feet below the hole. My putt looked like it went right to left, but it ended up breaking left to right. I misread that putt and I was disappointed because I never want to follow a bogey with another bogey.
Bogey (5-under through 13)

Hole 16 -- Par-5, 522 yards
On the 16th tee, I told myself to get two more birdies and get to 7-under. I knew I had a par-5 left and if I could get another birdie, I would be happy with my round. I hit my drive in the middle of the fairway and had 235 yards left. That's when Reehoorn showed up and we talked again about what I should hit. He thought it would be better if I hit 3-iron, because he thought the wind wasn't doing anything at that point and time. Right when we got done talking about it, the wind picked up and I decided I needed to hit 4-wood. I made a bad swing, a lazy swing, and I hit it right of the green and it's going straight for this lake. It hits into the top part of this tree and doesn't go in the lake. Reehoorn said `you better go kiss that tree when you get up there because it just saved you two shots.' I said `I will.' I walk up and see my ball three yards from the lake, but it's on dry land. So I kiss the tree, because I get superstitious out there, and Reehoorn told me too. I needed to show appreciation to that tree for keeping the ball out of the water. I hit my chip to an inch and tapped in my birdie putt. At that point, I knew that's the kind of lucky breaks you need to get to shoot a great round. I looked at it like this was predetermined to happen.
Birdie (6-under through 14)

Hole 17 -- Par-4, 347 yards
I hit my drive right down the middle and had 54 yards left to the pin. Reehoorn was with me at that point walking up in the fairway and we were having a light conversation. I don't even remember what it was. And then I hit my wedge shot to about eight feet, just right of the hole. Then I made that for birdie. At this point I made my goal of making two more birdies. I had achieved the goal of getting to 7-under, but I didn't want to be complacent with that. I told myself I have three holes left and I wanted to get two more birdies. I wanted to keep the momentum of making birdies on my side.
Birdie (7-under through 15)

Hole 18 -- Par-4, 445 yards
I hit it down the middle of the fairway. I had 160 yards on my second shot to a back right pin. I was thinking `let's go right at it' and I hit it to about 20 feet. I hit the left edge of the hole, almost made it, and tapped in for a par.
Par (7-under through 16)

Hole 1 -- Par-4, 395 yards
I have two holes left and I'm trying to birdie them both. That was my mindset. On No.1, I hit it right down the middle. I had 110 yards to a back left pin and I hit a half pitching wedge so I didn't spin it back too much. I hit it to 10 feet above the hole, downhill right to left. There was a little speck of sand or something on the green. I was like `wow, that is perfect' and if I roll it over that point it will go in. I looked up and my ball rolled right over that speck and went right into the hole. That was when I was like `wow, I'm 8-under par.' I had never shot below 7-under in a college tournament before.
Birdie (8-under through 17)

Hole 2 -- Par-3, 228 yards
I knew No. 2 was the hardest hole on the course and I didn't want to give another shot back. It's playing 228 yards and the pin is in the front left part of the green and the green is guarded by bunkers. I knew if I missed it left of the flag, I had a hard shot and wouldn't get up and down for par. I grabbed my 3-iron, because I thought that was the right club, and I picked a tree behind the green to aim at. I just tried to make a good golf swing and let my instincts take over. When I looked up, the ball was flying right at the flag. It ended up about 12 feet right behind the hole. It was a tough putt because it was severely downhill. I knew if I hit it too firm it could roll 10 feet past the hole. I just tried to trickle it down the slope and get it on the right line. It went in and that's when the realization that I was done with the round all hit me at once. That's when I sat back and realized what I just did. When I was out there, I didn't think about anything other than the next shot the entire round. I was almost ready to go to the next hole, but there was no next hole.
Birdie (9-under through 18)

Afterwards, Reehoorn said he thought it was a course record with all of the added distance they put in and an Oregon State record. So that's pretty neat. Eugene Country Club is regarded as a ball striker's golf course. I consider myself a good ball striker and I think Eugene Country Club separates players in that way.

I got a bunch of text messages saying great job from friends and family. It was a new situation because I never had the lead before going into the final round in a college tournament. When I finally turned the light off and laid in bed and thought about what I just did, I definitely could smile knowing that I just broke a school record. With the amount of talented players who have come from here, it's very special to me.

Notes: The average score by the field in Round 2 was 75.20, the highest of the three rounds (Round 1 was 74.86 and Round 3 was 74.43) ... Only 16 of the 88 players were below par in Round 2, six players were even par and 66 players were above par ... The second best round by a player in Round 2 was a 66 ... The second best round in the tournament was a 66 ... Of the 264 total rounds played in the tournament, there were only 17 rounds in the 60's.