Alfred Raja captures 119th PNGA Men’s Amateur Championship
Sandpoint, Idaho – Alfred Raja of Corvallis, Ore. won the 119th Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship with a 2&1 victory over Jordan Lee of Auburn, Wash. in today’s 36-hole final match.
The championship was held at The Idaho Club in Sandpoint, Idaho and was conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.
The championship began with 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying on July 26-27, followed by 18-hole single elimination match play July 28-30, concluding with a 36-hole final match on Saturday, July 31.
Championship links:
In this morning’s round, Raja got hot early and jumped out to a quick lead going 2 up through nine and 5 up after the morning 18. The highlight of the morning came on the par-5 ninth hole when Alfred’s third shot landed just behind the pin, spun back and rolled into the hole for an eagle.
In this afternoon’s round, Raja started to show some signs of weakness and Lee began to mount a comeback. Lee won five of the first ten holes this afternoon to cut the deficit to just one. However, the valiant effort came up just short as Raja won three of the last six holes to hold onto the victory.
“It’s been a real long week,” said Raja, “I honestly didn’t know that I was going to make it this far, but being able to win the whole thing is pretty unbelievable for me.”
When asked about how it feels to have his name on the same trophy as past champions like Tiger Woods, Raja said, “It’s a great honor for me and it feels like my hard work has paid off.”
Click here for Raja’s full winning interview.
Raja, originally from Indonesia, is a rising sophomore on the Oregon State University Men’s Golf Team. Earlier this month he made the Round of 16 at the Oregon Amateur.
Runner-up Jordan Lee is a rising junior on the Western Washington University Men’s Golf Team. Earlier this month, he placed second in the Washington Men’s Amateur Championship and finished fifth at the Rosauers Open.
The PNGA Men’s Amateur Championship is one of 11 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.
About The Idaho Club
Opened in 2008, the course at The Idaho Club is Idaho’s only Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. It is surrounded by picturesque sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho’s largest and deepest lake. The Idaho Club is just minutes from the town of Sandpoint, recently rated one of the “Top Ten small towns in the Western U.S.” by Sunset Magazine. Visit theidahoclub.com for more information.
