Blair wins Pacific Northwest Amateur
- photo courtesy Tetherow G.C.
BEND, Ore. (July 16, 2011) – Zac Blair (#36 seed) of Ogden, Utah capped off a great week with a 5&4 victory over Tyler Raber (#15 seed) of El Macero, Calif. in the 36-hole Championship Match.
Blair only trailed in the match for 1 hole and it was after No. 1 when he left his approach shot in the bunker and was unable to get it out on the first attempt resulting in a bogey. Both players birdied the par-5 No. 2 hole and then Blair was able to bring the match back to all square after making a par on the par-3 No. 3 hole. The next five holes were halved and then Blair made his move with a winning par on hole No. 9 and a 12-foot curling birdie putt that fell in on the 10th hole, giving him a 2-up advantage. Holes No. 11-15 were halved before Blair made a great up-and-down birdie from the deep greenside bunker on the shortened par-4 16th hole to go 3-up. Raber answered with a birdie win on the 17th hole, but Blair won the final two holes of the morning 18 with pars to take a commanding 4-up advantage.
After a short lunch break the final match teed off for the final 18 holes of the championship. Blair won 4 of the opening 6 holes with pars on holes No. 21 and 23 and birdies on holes No. 20 and 24 for an 8-up advantage with just 12 to play. Raber had one last flurry in him and he battled back with wins on holes No. 26, 27, and 29 to close the lead to 5, but a missed short birdie try on hole No. 30 proved costly. Hole No. 31 was halved with pars on the long par-5 and Blair was then dormie. On hole No. 31, a 190 yard par-3, Blair hit his shot to about 15 feet after Raber left his about 30 feet away. Raber missed his putt on the low side of the hole and Blair easily 2-putted for a 5&4 victory.
Blair has played 13 championship rounds of golf over the last 9 days and has no plans of resting. After finishing runner-up last week at the Sahalee Players Championship and Champion this week; a 6:30 a.m. flight on Sunday morning will take Blair to the Colorado Open and from there he makes his way to the Pacific Coast Amateur in California the following week.
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