Brandes Defends Title at PNGA Senior Men’s Amateur Championship; Washburn Victorious at Super Senior Men’s Amateur

Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash. came from behind in the third and final round to win the 49th Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, held at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver, B.C. Shelton Washburn of Chimacum, Wash. held off the field to win the 4th Pacific Northwest Super Senior Men’s Amateur Championship. Both championships were held concurrently at Marine Drive, and were conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.

Brandes defended his title, having won the championship last year when it was held at the Rope Rider and Tumble Creek courses at Suncadia in Cle Elum, Wash. Brandes was named the PNGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year the past two years, and may have designs on defending that title as well.

In today’s final round, Brandes blistered the back nine, firing a 3-under par 32. He then survived a three-way playoff for the victory. The other two players in the playoff were Richard Jonson of Seattle and Norm Bradley of Kelown, B.C. Jonson, a 5-time club champion out of Seattle’s Broadmoor Golf Club, had started the day in first place, but had three double-bogeys on the day, and went three over par on the final two holes to fall into a tie.

Playing the 400-yard par-4 18th hole as the first playoff hole, Bradley was the first to fall out, unable to save par from a greenside bunker. Jonson and Brandes then headed to the 338-yard par-4 first hole to continue the playoff, where Brandes hit the shot of the championship. After spraying his drive into the rough and under a tree, he punched out and ran the ball onto the green, 18 feet from the hole. Jonson was unable to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker, and after Brandes two-putted for par he congratulated him on the win. Watch Brandes’ interview here.

Washburn, the leader after the second round, held off a late charge by Ian Shopland of Saltspring Island, B.C. and Noel Pumfrey of Victoria, B.C. for the
Super Senior title. He nearly threw the championship away with a quadruple-bogey on the 404-yard 17th hole, but then birdied the par-4 18th for the one-shot victory over Shopland and Pumfrey. Defending champion Gay Davis of Portland finished in fourth place, three shots behind Washburn. Watch Washburn’s interview here.

In the Open Division, Mitch Freko of Rancho Mirage, Calif. broke the logjam at the top during the final round, having the best round of the day in the Open Division with a 2-over par 73 on the par-71 layout, winning the title by five shots over Brian Butters of Vancouver, B.C.