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Whitaker Victorious at PNGA Mid-Amateur
Redmond, Ore. (September 17, 2010) – Dan Whitaker of Cle Elum, Wash. shot a final round even par 72 to capture the 26th Annual PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship being held at Juniper Golf Club in Redmond, Ore. Whitaker’s 3-day total of 6-under par 210 gave him a 5-shot victory over 2006 PNGA Mid-Amateur champion Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash.
After finding himself struggling a bit on the front nine after shooting a 3-over 39, Whitaker went into the final nine holes with a two-shot lead over Brandes. Whitaker would then go on to birdie three of the first five holes on the back to build a five-shot cushion with only four holes to play. He would make steady pars on all of them to finish with an impressive back nine of 3-under 33.
Following his victory Whitaker said, “It feels good to win again. It’s been awhile since a victory, especially a victory on this scale. I played Juniper last year in the U.S. Amateur Qualifier and fell in love with it so I’m just really happy I was able to come back here.”
Finishing in a tie for 3rd place was Kent Brown of Colville, Wash. and Marc Rhoades of Boise, Idaho who both finished at 2-over par 218. Rounding out the top-5 was Sean Packer of Bonney Lake, Wash. with a total score of 3-over par 219.
The PNGA Mid-Amateur is Whitaker’s first PNGA championship victory. In 2007 he was one match away from earning an invitation to the 2008 Masters after his runner-up finish at the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Payout(PDF)
