Click Here for Results
Joshua Gliege of Eagle, Idaho completed his march through the bracket with an 8 and 7 decision in the final match over Roy Kang of North Vancouver, B.C. to win the 61st Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ Amateur, which was held at Wildhorse Resort in Pendleton, Ore.
The championship was conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).
Visit the Junior Boys’ Amateur page for complete scoring and match play bracket details. To stay connected on social media, follow @PNGALIVE on Twitter and use the hashtag #PNGAJrBoysAm.
After 12 holes into the scheduled 36-hole match, Gliege found himself 1-down to Kang, but he then took complete control of the match by winning nine of the next 14 holes, closing out the match with a birdie on the par-5 29th hole.
Gliege, the No. 2 seed, had impressive victories in the early matches of the championship, winning three matches leading up to the final match by margins of 7 and 5, 6 and 5, and 6 and 4.
“I’d been playing pretty well in my early matches,” Gliege said, “so I felt pretty confident going into today. But I also knew Roy was a great player, so I was really looking forward to the match.”
After a sunny and windless week, the weather took a turn during today’s match, with the winds swirling and gusting all day, creating difficult playing conditions and fast greens. “I play a lot in the wind,” Gliege said. “I know how to putt in the wind and how it affects the greens. I tried to use (the weather conditions) to my advantage.”
Gliege, who will be a senior at Eagle (Idaho) High School, has already committed to play golf for Texas A&M in 2016. Earlier this year, he qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur (a championship he also qualified for in 2013 and 2014), and was the 2015 Idaho High School 5A State champion. He is a two-time Idaho Golf Association Juniors Player of the Year (2011, 2012).
Kang, the No. 4 seed, had defeated Sam Warkentin, the No. 1 seed and defending champion, in the semifinal round to get to the final match.
Gliege now adds his name to the rich history of the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship, which includes past champions such as World Golf Hall of Fame member Fred Couples, Web.com Tour players Alex Prugh and Andrew Yun, and John Bodenhamer, the former CEO and executive director of the PNGA who now is a senior director at the USGA.
Wildhorse Resort is located in northern Oregon in the city of Pendleton. The course was host to the 2012 PNGA Men’s Master-40 Championship and hosted the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur for the first time.
