Hibler, the No. 14 seed in the match-play bracket, was down one to Larson, the No. 1 seed, after 10 holes, but Hibler got hot, birdieing and winning the next four holes to take a 3-up lead after 14 before sealing the match on the 16th.
Hibler made a total of eight birdies in just 16 holes during today’s championship match, which was just too much for Larson to overcome. “I had a good feeling going on and just tried to hit certain shots to close him out, and it just panned out that way.”
This is the first PNGA title for Hibler who has played in multiple PNGA Lamey Cup competitions as a member of the Idaho Golf Association (IGA) team. He won the 2019 IGA Men’s Tournament of Champions and finished tied for 6th at this year’s Idaho State Amateur. In 2018, he finished tied for 2nd at PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship.
Larson is a longtime competitor in PNGA championships and previously earned medalist honors at this championship in 2016. He was seeking his first individual PNGA title.
This year’s championship began with 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying on August 9-10 to determine match play seeding. The top 32 players qualified for single-elimination match play and all matches were contested over 18 holes and played at scratch, with the final match being held Friday, August 13.⛳️🏆 The 18-hole final match at the PNGA Men’s Master-40 Amateur Championship is underway!
— Pacific NW Golf Association (PNGA) (@thePNGA) August 13, 2021
Jesse Hibler of Meridian, Idaho 🆚 Craig Larson of Lakewood, Wash.
📲 Follow along: https://t.co/BSfFmpYlU3 pic.twitter.com/JxdFXFVdNE
The championship, which was conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA), consisted of the top amateur male golfers in the Pacific Northwest over the age of 40.
The Pacific Northwest Men’s Master-40 Amateur had previously been held at Wildhorse Golf Course in 2006 and 2012. The championship is one of 11 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.