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Houvener and Matson Cruise to Victory in 30th Pacific Northwest Men’s Senior Team Championship

Sunriver, Ore. (September 21, 2012) – Paul Houvener of Bothell, Wash. and Rob Matson of Wenatchee, Wash. completed an impressive week with a steady 4-under-par 67 on Friday at the Meadows Course at Sunriver Resort to win the 30th Pacific Northwest Men’s Senior Team Championship.

Houvener and Matson entered the final round with a six stroke lead over Keith Best and Hank Chafin, both of Ellensburg, Wash., and did not allow the field back into the championship. Playing a four-ball format for the final round, the duo made par on the first four holes before finding their stride, as they birdied the par-4 fifth hole, the par-4 seventh hole, and the par-4 ninth to make the turn at 3-under-par 32. Back-to-back birdies on holes 10 and 11 pushed them to 5-under-par for the day as they opened up a sizeable lead on the field.

A bogey on the 12th hole was simply a blip on the radar, as Houvener and Matson cruised to a final round 67. They finished the championship with a three-day total of 18-under-par 196, good enough for a seven stroke victory over first round leaders Larry Gilhuly and Jim McNelis, both from Gig Harbor, Wash. and the team of John Gallacher of Burnaby, B.C. and Gudmund Lindbjerg of Port Moody, B.C.

Gallacher and Lindbjerg posted the low round of the day, a sizzling 7-under-par 64 to finish the championship at 11-under-par 203, but they were unable to make a big enough dent in the lead after entering the final round 10 shots off the pace. Gilhuly and McNelis fired a 4-under-par 67 of their own on Friday, but it was too little too late, as they finished in a second place tie at 11-under-par 203.

Defending champions Steve Berry of Vancouver, B.C. and Lance MacGregor of Delta, B.C. settled for a fifth place tie after a final round 5-under-par 66 put them at 8-under-par 206 for the championship, nine shots back.

Barry Niles of Bend, Ore. and Paul Peterson of Cameron Park, Calif. finished the championship with a net total of 26-under-par 188 to earn net honors.

The first round was played in Four-Ball format on the Woodlands Course, the second round was played in Chapman Stroke Play format on the Meadows Course, and the final round was played in Four-Ball format, also on the Meadows Course.

The Pacific Northwest Men’s Senior Team Championship is one of 16 regional championships conducted annually by the PNGA. For more information about this championship, including live scoring results, go to www.thepnga.org.

The 2012 PNGA championship season concludes October 1-2 with the Pacific Northwest Senior and Super Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, to be played at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash.