Brandes Overtakes Daniels to win 48th Senior Men’s Championship, Davis Goes Wire to Wire in 3rd Super Senior Men’s Championship
Cle Elum, Wash. (June 15, 2012) – Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash. made a final round charge at Rope Rider to overtake defending champion Larry Daniels of Seattle, Wash. and outlast Kent Brown of Colville, Wash. to claim the 48th Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, and Gay Davis of Portland, Ore. cruised to victory in the 3rd Pacific Northwest Super Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, held at Rope Rider and Tumble Creek Club at Suncadia Resort.
Brandes started the day three shots back of Daniels, but started strong and immediately shifted the momentum in his favor with a birdie on the par-5 1st hole. The birdie was the first of five on the day for Brandes, who found himself alone in first place after a flawless 3-under 33 on the front nine. Daniels kept the pressure on with back-to-back birdies on 5 and 6 but a double bogey on the 9th hole catapulted Brandes into the lead, a lead that he would not relinquish the rest of the way en route to a 2-under 70 in the final round, a three day total of 7-over 222, and a two shot victory over Brown.
“I had Larry (Daniels) on my radar. After the birdie on the first hole, I did not do much until the par on 9 and he made double bogey,” said Brandes, about the battle in the final group. “From then on I chipped away and got a little lead. I did not know how everyone else was doing though,” he continued. “Thankfully I figured the greens out a little bit today and putted better.”
Brown, the champion in 2005, played in the second to last group and pulled even with Brandes late in the day when he birdied the par-3 16th hole. But Brandes responded with a birdie of his own on the par-5 17th and a bogey by Brown on the 18th hole sealed the victory for Brandes. Brown ended the week in sole possession of second place with a three day total of 9-over 224. Daniels finished five shots off the lead and in a tie for third at 12-over 227 with Keith Crimp of Ellensburg, Wash. and Richard Jonson of Seattle, Wash.
In the Super Senior Men’s Championship, Davis, who held the 36-hole lead in last year’s championship before falling to Noel Pumfrey on the final hole, got a chance for redemption and took full advantage. Davis cruised through his final round for a 5-over 77, giving him a three-day total of 13-over 228 and an 8 stroke victory over Bruce Richards of Seattle, Wash.
“The wind was tough. I just tried to make as many pars as I could,” Davis said about his approach to the challenge that Rope Rider and Tumble Creek Club presented this week. “I think yesterday was the key in the wind at Tumble Creek. I picked up five or six shots on the rest of the field and it gave me a good lead entering the final round,” he continued. Davis was the only competitor in the Super Senior Championship to post three rounds under 80, a strong indication of his consistent play this week.
Richards closed the championship with an even par 72, the low round of the tournament, and a three day total of 21-over 236, but Davis’ lead proved too much to overcome. Dr. Jack Lamey of Seattle, Wash., the 1998 and 2001 Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s champion, finished in sole possession of third place with a three day total of 22-over 237.
In the Open Division, Tom Agrey of Delta, B.C. won the individual gross portion after posting a 54-hole total of 19-over 234. Charlie Weaver of Cle Elum, Wash. won the individual net portion with a 54-hole total of 13-under 202. Agrey and Rick Woolley of Surrey B.C. won the team competition, gross portion, with a 2-over 217, while Gary Belvoir of Eagle, Idaho and Fisk won the net portion with a 28-under 187.
Next up on the PNGA championship schedule is the Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship, to be held at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Wash. from July 9-14.
