PNGA Men’s Amateur round of 64 sees No. 1 seed advance, and some upsets
Sunriver, Ore. – The match-play round of 64 during the 123rd PNGA Men’s Amateur saw competitive bouts, convincing wins and matches that took more than 18 holes to decide.
The round of 64 was contested all day today, and was the first match held after the first two days of stroke-play qualifying.
Top-seeded Qualifying Medalist Dylan Burcham (Valencia, Calif.) didn’t slow down much as the championship entered its match play portion, as the Washington State University sophomore defeated Owen Davis-Piger (Eugene, Ore.) 6&5. The two players had been tied after their opening five holes, but Burcham won six of the next eight to advance to the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Matthew Miyamoto (Sacramento, Calif.) won his first two holes to get ahead of Ray Greller (Newberg, Ore.) early, eventually winning the match 6&4 after taking three more holes on the second nine. This fall, Miyamoto will begin his sophomore season at the University of California, and he will hope it’s with his first PNGA title in tow.
There were upsets with higher seeds, too. Jonas Kim (Puyallup, Wash.), the No. 2 seed, came up short against Ethan Flynn (Truckee, Calif). Flynn had gone 3-up by the time the players made the turn, which Kim managed to cut to 1-up on two separate occasions, but in the end it will be Flynn moving on to the busy Friday.
Kristof Panke (Davenport, Wash.), the No. 4 seed, also did not advance. Drawing Jake Rodgers (Mulino, Ore.), Panke traded barbs with his opponent through the opening nine, but Rodgers eventually emerged 4-up to keep his own week going. Rodgers is a rising junior at Colorado State and 2022 PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur champion.
Defending Champion Sam Renner (Bend, Ore.) got himself one step closer to defending his title, having defeated Reid Piron 4&3. Piron won the match’s opening hole, but Renner assumed control, going 3-up by the end of the sixth. Renner is a rising senior at Washington State University, and entered this year’s match play bracket as the No. 22 seed.
Championship Links:
The rounds of 32 and 16 will be held Friday, July 18, followed by the quarterfinal and semifinal matches Saturday, July 19. The championship match, held over 36 holes, will take place Sunday, July 20.
The PNGA Men’s Amateur Championship is among the 11 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.
