PNGA Amateur: Kang prevails 7 & 6 over Hale
7/12/2008 | by
see also: View results for PNGA Amateur, Palouse Ridge Golf Club
Jason Kang of UCLA tops Cal's Stephen Hale 7 & 6 to take home title
EAGLE, Idaho (July 12)--Jason Kang of Valencia, Calif., outlasted the original field of 157, battled his way through six straight days of golf, and defeated Stephen Hale of Bakersfield, Calif. in a 36-hole final match to win the 107th PNGA Men’s Amateur, held at BanBury Golf Club in Eagle, Idaho.
Sunday's 36-hole final match pitted two Pac-10 rivals against each other, with UCLA's Jason Kang taking on Cal's Stephen Hale.
The day was perfect for scoring as winds were calm and the ball carrying a long way in the 2500 foot altitude.
Kang started off hot knocking a hybrid to two feet and making eagle on the 535-yard, par-5 2nd hole to take a 1-up lead. Kang would continue to play mistake free the rest of the morning and used that eagle and four additional birdies to grab a 6-up lead through 18 holes. His only score worse than a par was a double bogey on the 249-yard par-3 14th hole.
Kang continued the afternoon round where he left off in the morning and quickly increased his lead to 8-up.
Hale was able to cut that lead to 6-up through 28 holes to give himself a fighters' chance, but over a 15-foot birdie putt to go dormie on the 29th hole, Kang drilled it in and let out a fist pump and yelled "BANG."
That move has become Kang's signature celebration and is known around the college ranks as the "Kang Bang."
Kang would close the match out with a 9-foot birdie on the next hole to win 7 & 6, and become the 107th champion of the PNGA Men's Amateur. He joins the likes of Tiger Woods, Jeff Quinney, Nick Flanagan, Bill Sander, and Danny Green as a winner of this championship.
--Courtesy PNGA
Results: PNGA Amateur
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Valencia, CA | 500 | ||
| Runner-up | Bakersfield, CA | 400 | ||
| Semifinals | Emeryville, CA | 300 | ||
| Semifinals | Denver, CO | 300 | ||
| Quarterfinals | Grass Valley, CA | 200 |
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. A...
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