Nguyen earns No. 1 seed at PNGA Women’s Amateur; Johnson medals at Mid-Amateur; match-play brackets set
Gleneden Beach, Ore. – Lauryn Nguyen of Seattle, Wash. shot rounds of 69-71 to earn medalist honors at the 120th PNGA Women’s Amateur Championship; while Gretchen Johnson of Portland, Ore. shot rounds of 77-72 to earn medalist honors in the 20th PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur.
Both championships are being held concurrently this week at Salishan Golf Links in Gleneden Beach, Ore. and are conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.
Championship links
Women’s Amateur:
Women’s Mid-Amateur:
Nguyen and Johnson have earned the No. 1 seeds in their respective match-play brackets. For the Women’s Amateur, 32 players advance to match play, while 16 players advance in the Women’s Mid-Amateur bracket.
The format will now be 18-hole single elimination match play starting Wednesday, July 13, with the final match for each being contested on Friday, July 15. The Women’s Amateur will have a 36-hole final match the Mid-Amateur final match will be contested over 18 holes.
Nguyen entered this morning’s second round of stroke play qualifying with a one-shot cushion over Angela Arora of Surrey, B.C. She ended the day four-shots clear of second place finisher Andrea Gomez of Aptos, Calif.
“I stayed pretty consistent, both mentally and physically,” said Nguyen, “with the wind out there, knowing everyone had to deal with it, it kept me calm and kept me going.”
Along with the No. 1 seed, Nguyen will have a bye in tomorrow’s first-round of match play.
“I’m excited to watch some people out there in the morning,” said Nguyen, “and I’m really excited to see who I get paired up against in the afternoon.”
Click here to watch Nguyen’s post-round interview.
In the Mid-Amateur championship, Johnson, who won this championship in 2019, entered today’s second round of stroke-play qualifying one shot back of defending champion Amanda Jacobs of Portland, Ore. Her round of 1-over par 72, which is the low round of the championship, moved her up the leader board and into first place, one shot clear of Jacobs.
First held in 1899, the PNGA 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 Carner, Jo Ann Washam, Pat Lesser Harbottle, Edean Ihlanfeldt, Violet Pooly Sweeney, Marcia Fisher, and Betty Jean Hulteng, among others. Past champions also include many others who would later go on to the LPGA Tour, such as Jimin Kang, Peggy Conley, Ruth Jessen and Shirley Englehorn.
The PNGA Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur are two of 11 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.
About the Pacific Northwest Golf Association
The PNGA was founded on February 4, 1899. It is a 501c3 charitable, international, amateur golf association dedicated to preserving the true spirit of golf by supporting its member associations, conducting quality championships, and promoting activities beneficial to golfers in the Pacific Northwest. For more than a century, the Association has been a pioneer in developing competitions and services and its mission has grown and evolved. Today, the PNGA remains committed to being a truly regional organization providing benefits and services to its members and member clubs throughout the Northwest.
