Brandt-Richards Earns Medalist Honors at 113th Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship; Match Play Begins Tomorrow
Dale Brandt-Richards of Sydney, Australia followed up an impressive first round 6-under par 64 with a 3-under 67 to claim medalist honors in the stroke play qualifying rounds of the 113th Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship. Brandt-Richards will be the number one seed heading into the match play portion of the competition, which is being held at Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash. The championship is being conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).
The field has been cut to the top 64 players who will now advance to single elimination match play.
Brandt-Richards made just one bogey on the par-70, 7,154 yard in his entire first two rounds. He made a six on the par-5 10th Hole, his first hole of the championship, and managed to birdie six of the next 10 holes.
“I’ve just been trying to make heaps of pars,” Brandt-Richards said. “I just want to get the ball on the green, and a few have been dropping for me.”
More than a few have dropped for Brandt-Richards, who has 10 birdies through his first two rounds as he heads into match play. He attributed the layout and style of Palouse Ridge to his ability to feel comfortable so far from home.
“This course is pretty similar to some of the sand-built courses down in Melbourne,” he said. “I really like playing courses where you can hit it long and carry the bunkers off the tee. And I like putting on quick greens, so this feels like home.”
Brandt-Richards’ comfort and composure on the golf course aided him not only in accomplishing his qualifying-round goals, but in exceeding them.
“At the start of the week I just wanted to qualify for the match play, so that was my first goal,” he said. “That’s over now, and it all starts again in match play, though.”
Hans Reimers of Lake Oswego, Ore. gave chase to Brandt-Richards in today’s second round, eagling his first hole followed by birdies on two of the next four. He also finished day two with a three-under-par 67, two back of Brandt-Richards. Reimers was runner-up in this championship last year, losing to eventual champions Cameron Peck in the final match.
Frank Garber of Kirkland, Wash. made a big run late in today’s round to lock him in a tie with Reimers at 7-under par heading into match play. Garber, the 2013 Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ Player of the Year, made back-to-back birdies on holes three and four, as well as on eight and nine to post a four-under-par 31 on the front nine. His hot round continued, as he birdied holes 12, 13, 14, and 15 on his way to a 7-under par 63, the low round of the championship.
The Round of 64 in the match play bracket starts at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8.
For a complete match play bracket, tee times and to follow along with live scoring, visit www.thepnga.org.
Past champions of the Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship include Tiger Woods, Jeff Quinney, Ben Crane, Jeff Coston, Nick Flanagan, Jim McLean and PNGA Hall of Famers Chandler Egan, Harry Givan, Jack Westland, Bud Ward and George Holland, among others. After winning the 1994 championship, Woods said,
“The PNGA Men’s Amateur will always be very special to me since it’s my first men’s amateur victory.” Watch preview here.
