PNGA Amateur: Kang prevails 7 & 6 over Hale

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