Paul Mitzel wins 120th PNGA Men’s Amateur Championship
Bremerton, Wash. – Paul Mitzel of Quincy, Wash. won the 120th Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship with a 3&2 victory over Colt Sherrell of Maple Valley, Wash. in today’s 36-hole final match.
The championship was held at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash. Both the Olympic and Cascade courses were used for the championship, with the final match being held on the Olympic course.
The championship began with 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying on July 25-26, followed by 18-hole single elimination match play July 27-29, concluding with a 36-hole final match on Saturday, July 30.
Championship Links:
In this morning’s round, Mitzel got off to a hot start, winning three of the first six holes to get out to an early lead. Sherrell crept back in it and eventually tied the match on the 15th hole, but Mitzel came back with a birdie on No. 17 to take a 1 up lead heading into the afternoon round.
In the afternoon round, Mitzel showed no signs of letting up. After he and Sherrell tied holes 19-24, Mitzel won two of the next three to regain his 3 up advantage. Sherrell fired back, winning 28 and 29 to get back within one, and Mitzel responded by winning the next three holes to go 4 up with four to play. Sherrell then birdied the 33rd hole to stay alive before Mitzel closed him out on the 34th hole.
“I’m speechless,” said Mitzel, “I don’t know what to say or how to feel, and I think eventually it will hit me. It was really nice having my brother, my fiancé and my family out here because they made it all easy. I never felt pressure.”
At 32-years-old, Mitzel, is one of the oldest champions in the recent history of the PNGA Men’s Amateur. The championship has been dominated by college-aged players over the past 20 plus years.
“Colt has a really bright future ahead of him,” said Mitzel when asked about today’s final match. “If you look at our scorecard, we were up and down the entire day. It could have gone both ways today.”
Click here for Mitzel’s full winning interview.
Mitzel is a former collegiate player who played at Washington State University. This victory furthers his impressive summer of golf. Last week he finished second at the Washington Men’s Mid-Amateur and in May he and partner Johnny Carey won the Washington Men’s Four-Ball Championship.
Runner-up Colt Sherrell is a rising fifth-year senior on the University of Idaho men’s golf team. Earlier this year he played in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball championship after qualifying with partner Nathan Cogswell last fall. In 2017, Sherrell was runner-up at the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur.
Click here to watch Sherrell’s post-round interview.
The PNGA Men’s Amateur Championship is one of 11 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.
About Gold Mountain Golf Club
A municipal facility owned by the city of Bremerton, Gold Mountain Golf Club consists of two 18-hole championship courses, the Olympic and the Cascade. The Olympic Course has been the site of numerous local, regional and national championships, including the 2006 U.S. Amateur Public Links and 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur (won by Jordan Spieth). It has also been the site of several USGA national championship qualifiers, and hosted the Washington Men’s Amateur in 2007 and 2021. Visit goldmountaingolf.com for information.
