McNelis and Smith Capture 31st Pacific Northwest Men’s Senior Team Championship

The duo of Jim McNelis and Karl Smith, both of Gig Harbor, Wash., has won the 31st Pacific Northwest Men’s Senior Team Championship, held at Sunriver Resort. After starting today’s final round tied for the lead, McNelis and Smith combined for a 6-under par 65 in the Four-Ball format for a five stroke victory over defending champions Paul Houvener of Mill Creek, Wash. and Rob Matson of Wenatchee, Wash.

The 54-hole championship was held on the resort’s Woodlands and Meadows courses, and was conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).

“Karl and I have played a lot of golf together over the past 30 years,” said McNelis. “So we’re real comfortable playing as a team.” The teammates combined for six birdies in today’s final round.

“I haven’t played the Meadows course in over 25 years,” said Smith. “And it’s probably been over 15 years since I’ve played the Woodlands course. They’ve made some nice changes, and the condition of both courses was excellent.” Watch their post-round interview here.

McNelis had won this title in 2010 with Larry Gilhuly of Gig Harbor as his partner, and the two of them had tied for second last year.

The championship consisted of a different format on each day – Four-Ball, Chapman, and Four-Ball.

The Pacific Northwest Men’s Senior Team Championship is one of 16 regional championships conducted annually by the PNGA.