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Aug 13, 2019

Anand Earns Medalist Honors at PNGA Junior Boys’; Knox Medals at Junior Girls’; Brackets Set

Akshay Anand of Redmond, Wash. shot rounds of 71-66 to earn medalist honors and the No. 1 seed heading into the match-play competition of the 65th Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ Amateur.

In the 64th Pacific Northwest Junior Girls’, Kennedy Knox of Normandy Park, Wash. shot rounds of 76-71 to take medalist honors and earn the No. 1 seed in the championship flight.

Akshay Anand (left) and Kennedy Knox
Akshay Anand (left) and Kennedy Knox

Championship Links

The two championships are being held concurrently August 12-16 at Port Ludlow (Wash.) Golf Club, and are 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.

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

Match play for both championships begins tomorrow, August 14. The top 32 players in the Junior Boys’ will now advance to the championship flight, and the Junior Girls’ bracket has now been seeded. The brackets will consist of single-elimination 18-hole matches, with the final matches for both championships being held Friday, August 16, and each being contested over 36 holes.

Anand, who already stands 6’4” and will be just a sophomore this fall at Redmond (Wash.) High School, overpowered the course, hitting 300-yard tee shots on the 6587-yard golf course.

The No. 2 seed in the match-play bracket is Ian Siebers of Bellevue, Wash. Last month, Siebers won the individual title in the 2019 Junior Americas Cup, and was named the 2018 PNGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.

In the Junior Girls’, Knox, who will be a junior at Mount Rainier High School, shot the only under-par round of the field with her 1-under 71 performance today.

Also making match play in the championship flight of the Junior Girls’ is Adithi Anand, the older sister of Akshay.

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.

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.