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65th PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur and 64th PNGA Junior Girls’ being held at Port Ludlow

The 65th Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ Amateur and 64th Pacific Northwest Junior Girls’ Amateur are being held this week at Port Ludlow (Wash.) Golf Club. The region’s premier championships for junior golfers traditionally attract the strongest fields of the season from throughout the Northwest.

Championship Links

The two championships will be held concurrently August 12-16, and are being conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA). Both championships are considered as counting events for the World Amateur Golf Ranking, as well as AJGA Performance Based Entry.

Port Ludlow Golf Club
Port Ludlow Golf Club

Both championships consist of 36 holes of stroke play qualifying, to be held August 12-13, to determine seeding for the match play portion of the championships. All matches are contested over 18 holes in a single-elimination format, with the exception of the two final matches on Friday, August 16, which will both be played over 36 holes.

To stay connected on social media, follow @PNGALIVE on Twitter for live updates, and use the hashtag #PNGAJrAm.

In the Junior Boys’, among the players to watch for is Ian Siebers of Bellevue, Wash. Last month, Siebers won the individual title in the 2019 Junior Americas Cup. Last year, on his way to being named the 2018 PNGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year, Siebers won an astonishing five titles, which included two AJGA victories, two WJGA titles, and the PNW PGA Junior Championship, where he would eventually finish ninth in the Junior Boys’ PGA National Championship. He made the round of 64 at the 2018 U.S. Amateur. Siebers was also selected as the 2018 WSGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.

Also in the field is Blake Kukula of Ocean Park, Wash. In the spring, Kukula won his third consecutive 1B/2B High School individual state championship. Next year, as a senior he’ll be trying for four in a row.

The rich history of the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship includes past champions such as World Golf Hall of Fame member Fred Couples, Korn Ferry 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.

In the Junior Girls’, players to watch for are Angela Zhang of Bellevue, Wash. who earlier this year at Augusta National won the 2019 Drive, Chip & Putt National Championship in the Girls’ 7-9 age division; and Emersyn Walker of Lakewood, Wash., who this spring won the 1A/2B/1B High School individual title.

The storied history of the PNGA Junior Girls’ Amateur includes past champions Jo Ann Washam, Peggy Conley, Joan Edwards-Powell, Mary Budke, and JoAnne Gunderson Carner, all of whom would later be inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame after storied amateur and professional careers. Other past champions include current LPGA Tour players Paige Mackenzie and Jimin Kang.

To be eligible for the Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Amateurs, contestants must be 18 years of age or younger on August 16, 2019.

These championships are two of 15 regional championships conducted annually by the PNGA.

The PNGA was founded on February 4, 1899. It is a 501c3 charitable, international, amateur golf association dedicated to preserving the true spirit of golf by supporting its allied associations, conducting quality championships, and promoting activities beneficial to golfers in the Pacific Northwest. For more than a century, the Association has been a pioneer in developing competitions and services and its mission has grown and evolved. Today, the PNGA remains committed to being a truly regional organization providing benefits and services to its members and member clubs throughout the Northwest.