UCLA photo
EAGLE, Idaho (July 9, 2008)--Stroke-play medalist, Erik Flores of Grass Valley, Calif., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, BC, were among the winners in Wednesday’s first round of match play at the 107th PNGA Men’s Amateur’s being held at BanBury Golf Club in Eagle, Idaho.
Flores, 21, the No. 2 player for the National Champion UCLA Bruins, continued his strong showing, breezing through his match and ending it on the 13th hole, winning 6 & 5. Flores was 5-under par through 13 holes of play. He will face Josh Dupont, Poway, Calif in the second round of match play tomorrow morning.
Hadwin, 20, who plays for the 10th ranked Louisville Cardinals, also continues his route to the championship match, after defeating Mark Ogren of Daphne, Ala. 4 & 3. Daphne was a PNGA Presidential Invite to this year’s championship. Hadwin will face Andrew Vijarro of Bend, Ore. in the second round of match play tomorrow morning.
The biggest upset of the day was the match between No. 3 seed Michael Jensen of Los Altos, Calif. and #62 seed Jason Shano of Scottsdale, Ariz. Shano, 19, used five birdies to derail Jensen, who was not able to keep up the consistency he showed during the 36-holes of stroke-play qualifying.
The other surprise of the day came with Matthew Fladwood of Lake Oswego, Ore., taking down Australian junior Jin Jeong.
Jeong, 18, had been playing great golf this summer with a 4th place finish at the Sunnehanna Amateur and 15th place finish at last weeks Sahalee Players Championship. Fladwood, 23, got off to a quick start, making birdie on four of the first five holes to take a 3-up lead. He never gave it back and held off a late Jeong push to win 1-up.
Surviving a scare was the two-time NCAA Division II player of the year and No. 4 seed Jarin Todd of Woodinville, Wash. Todd, 21, faced off against Matt Rawitzer, 17, of Bellingham, Wash. in a match that saw neither player get more than 1-up throughout the round. Todd finally seized the lead with a birdie on the 15th hole, and used pars on the last three holes to win his match 1-up.
The championship continues with the second and third rounds of match play Thursday. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played Friday, and the 2008 PNGA Men’s Amateur concludes on Saturday with a 36-hole final.
--Courtesy PNGA
ABOUT THE PNGA Amateur
First held in 1899, the Pacific Northwest Men’s
Amateur
is one of the country’s longest running amateur
championships. Held annually at world-class courses
throughout the Pacific Northwest, this championship
is
played in the same format as the U.S. Amateur and
features an impressive list of past champions that
include; Nick Flanagan, Ben Crane, Jeff Quinney, Bill
Sander, and Tiger Woods. Eligibility is open to
members
of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association and top
amateurs throughout the world invited via
Presidential
Invitation. Each year’s champion earns a hosted
exemption in to the Pacific Coast Amateur and
Sahalee
Players Championship.
The Championship will be conducted in two stages:
Stroke Play – All players must complete the 36-hole
stroke play qualifying in order to determine the 64
players who will advance to match play. In the event
of a tie for the final qualifying spot(s), a sudden-
death playoff will be used to determine the qualifiers.
In the event of a tie for the Qualifying Medalist, a
sudden-death playoff will commence.
Match Play – The General Numerical Draw will be in
effect. Single elimination match play. 36-hole
Championship Final Match. All other matches are 18
holes.
View Complete Tournament Information