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61st PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship Set to Begin at Wildhorse Resort

The 61st Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship heads to Wildhorse Resort in Pendleton, Ore. The championship, conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA), will be held August 10-14, hosting some of the most talented junior golfers in the Pacific Northwest.

Wildhorse Resort in Pendleton, Ore.
Wildhorse Resort in Pendleton, Ore.

The championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play qualifying to determine flights for the match play portion of the championship. The lowest 32 scorers from the qualifying rounds will advance to the Championship Flight, with each of the remaining flights being comprised of eight contestants. All matches are contested over 18 holes in a single elimination format, with the exception of the championship match on Friday, August 14, which will be played over 36 holes.

Last year’s championship saw Sam Warkentin of Bainbridge Island, Wash. defeat Sean Yi of Auburn, Wash. 4 and 3 in the final match held at Emerald Valley Golf and Resort in Creswell, Ore. Warkentin will be in the field this year to defend his title.

Visit the Junior Boys page for tee times, pairings and live scoring. To stay connected on social media, follow @PNGALIVE on Twitter for live updates, and much more, and use the hashtag #PNGAJrBoysAm.

The rich history of the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship 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.

When asked for his advice to junior golfers, Couples once said, “To any youngster, I would say hang in there. You are playing the toughest sport there is. The highs and lows of golf are so great because it is an individual sport. Let the good times roll with the bad times.”

To be eligible for the Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship, contestants must not have reached their 18th birthday by the final day of the competition. This is one of 15 regional championships conducted annually by the PNGA.

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 is hosting the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur for the first time.