John Bracken Claims 51st Pacific Northwest Senior Amateur

6/11/2015 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Senior Champion John Bracken (L) <br>and Super Senior Champion Ron Garland (R)<br>Courtesy PNGA

Lurking near the lead, Bracken's solid, steady play leads him to victory as bogeys burden Bandes

With two-time champion Tom Bandes (’12 & ’13) playing well and tied for the lead with Paul Houvener at 5-under after two rounds, Seattle’s John Bracken had to hope for some good luck if he was going to have a chance at winning the 51st Pacific Northwest Senior Amateur Championship. Turns out, all Bracken needed was to continue his steady play that got him through the first two rounds of the 54-hole stroke play tournament at the 6,214-yard, par-72 Wine Valley Country Club in Walla Walla. He was 2-under after 36 holes, three shots behind the leaders, and after his final round 2-under 70, he emerged as Champion. While Bandes, from Bellevue, played well his first two rounds, his six bogeys on the final day were too much to overcome. He finished the day with a 4-over –par 76, tied for third place at 1-under with Michael Kloenne of West Linn, OR. Second round co-leader Houvener carded a 3-over 75 to finish the tournament alone in second place at 2-under. In the Super Senior division, Ron Garland of Bozeman, MT fired a first round 3-under-par 69 on his way to winning the 2015 Championship. Garland got off to a shaky start on the final round with a double bogey on no. 1, a 378-yard par-4. His three birdies on the round helped him recover and finish the round at even-par. Garland posted a three-day total of 1-over 217, winning by four strokes over Gay Davis from Portland. The Pacific Northwest Senior and Super Senior Men’s Championships are two of 15 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.

About the PNGA Senior Amateur

Format: 54-hole Stroke Play Competition for seniors and super seniors with the following divisions: Senior Championship (55+) – Contestants entering in the Senior Championship will compete in individual competition only (gross only) and will play fro...

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