Banks and Rohde share lead after round one at PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur
Walla Walla, Wash. – Landon Banks of Tualatin, Ore. and Jacob Rohde of Everett, Wash. each fired a 5-under par 67 to take a share of the lead after the opening round of the 37th PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship.
The 54-hole stroke-play championship is being held this week, August 9-11 at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Wash.
Championship links:
Banks got off to a hot start in his opening round, he birdied the fourth and fifth holes to get it to 2-under before dropping a shot on the seventh, only to get it back on the ninth. He finished his round with four birdies on the back-nine, against one bogey.
Rohde opened with a bogey on the first hole and he’d eventually battle back to sit at even-par after the first nine holes. Things would turn around for him on the back-nine as he tallied six birdies against one bogey to finish the day at 5-under.
The two players sit one shot clear of a host of challengers who sit at 4-under par; Kevin Tucker of Pullman, Wash., Johnny Carey of Seattle, Wash., Jonathan Romano of Vancouver, Wash. and Jason Huff of Moscow, Idaho.
To be eligible for this championship, players must be 25 years of age or older by August 9, 2022 and have a USGA Handicap Index or Golf Canada Handicap Factor of 8.4 or lower. The field of 90 was filled by the lowest USGA Handicap Indexes and Golf Canada Handicap Factors in addition to exempt players and Presidential Invitees.
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 Wine Valley Golf Club
Opened in 2009, Wine Valley Golf Club was designed by Dan Hixson, a native of Portland, Ore. who has designed other top Northwest courses. The course has hosted numerous local and regional championships, including the 2021 PNGA Senior & Super Senior Amateur Championships and Final Qualifying for the U.S. Open Championship in 2019.
