Inglis and Ha to Meet in Final Match at 112th Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur; Markle and Jacobs to Square Off for Title in 12th Pacific Northwest Women’s Mid-Amateur

Caroline Inglis of Eugene, Ore. and Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Alberta will meet in the Final match of the 112th Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur Championship; while Kareen Markle of Meridian, Idaho will face Amanda Jacobs of Seattle for the 12th Mid-Amateur title. Tomorrow’s Final match of the Women’s Amateur will be contested over 36 holes, with the tee time of the morning round being 7:30 a.m. The Final match of the Women’s Mid-Amateur will contested over 18 holes, with the tee time being 7:40 a.m.

The two championships are conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, and are being held concurrently at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Wash.

Inglis, the three-time Oregon high school state champion who just finished her freshman year at the University of Oregon and who last month was Medalist at the Oregon Women’s Amateur, had the most grueling day during the day’s two rounds. Her morning Quarterfinal match against Reedsport, Ore. high school phenom Monica Vaughn lasted 21 holes before Inglis closed it out with a birdie. Her Semifinal match this afternoon also went extra holes before she was able to defeat defending champion Chessey Thomas of Spokane.

“I just told myself to keep going, to not give up,” said an exhausted Inglis afterward. “I like this golf course, and it seems to suit my game.” Watch Inglis’ interview here.

Ha has dominated most of her matches, including easily taking down Kendall Prince, the No. 1 seed, in yesterday’s Round of 16, and then Aubrie Street of Medford, Ore. 6 and 4 in this morning’s Quarterfinal. However, she needed 19 holes to get past Morgan Thompson, the University of California standout, in this afternoon’s Semifinal match. The big-hitting Ha will be a junior at Kent State University, and a few months ago had claimed medalist honors in the Mid-American Conference Championship, leading Kent State to their 15th consecutive conference title.

In the 12th Pacific Northwest Women’s Mid-Amateur, Markle, a two-time champion, has had an impressive run through the bracket. In this morning’s Quarterfinal, she easily handled two-time champion and Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famer Alison Murdoch of Victoria, B.C., 5 and 4. She then defeated Denise Kieffer of University Place, Wash., 5 and 3, in this afternoon’s Semifinal.

“I really like match play,” said Markle. “It’s my favorite format. Having played in the Final before will probably help me tomorrow.” Along with winning twice, Markle has also finished runner-up three times. Watch Markle’s interview here.

Markle will face No. 1 seed Jacobs, who played golf at the University of Idaho.

No. 1 seed Amanda Jacobs of Seattle won her match against Shawna Ianson of Boise, 5 and 4. Jacobs, who played golf at the University of Idaho in Moscow, won four of the first five holes on the back nine to close out the match. Ianson is the defending IGA Women’s Mid-Amateur champion.

First held in 1899, Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur Championship is one of the oldest amateur golf championships in the world. Past champions include Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famers who made up the Golden Age of female golfers in the Northwest such as Joanne Gunderson Carner, Jo Ann Washam, Pat Lesser Harbottle, Edean Ihlanfeldt, Violet Pooly Sweeney, Marcia Fisher, Betty Jean Hulteng, among others. Past champions also include many who would later go on to the LPGA Tour, such as Jimin Kang, Peggy Conley, Ruth Jessen and Shirley Englehorn.