PNGA Men’s Master-40 Amateur being held at Wine Valley
Walla Walla, Wash. – The 51st PNGA Men’s Master-40 Amateur Championship is being held this week, August 3-7, at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Wash.
The championship will be contested over 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying on August 3-4, followed by a cut to the low 32 players who will advance to single-elimination match play. This format is akin to that of the PNGA Men’s and Women’s Amateur.
The rounds of 32 and 16 will be held on Wednesday, August 5, followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals on Thursday, with the championship match following on Friday, August 7. Each match will be contested over 18 holes.
Championship links:
This marks the second time Wine Valley will have hosted the Master-40 after first doing so in 2019. A common destination for championship golf, Wine Valley hosted its second PNGA Women’s Amateur in 2025, as well as a U.S. Open Final Qualifier. It has been the site of the PNGA Men’s Amateur three times, the Washington Men’s Amateur twice, and the Northwest Open Invitational a total of 12 times, among an assortment of other events, for which it has always been well-equipped.
The PNGA Men’s Master-40 has long been an anticipated PNGA championship annually. Its champions include those who have previously represented exceptional regional golf, such as Dr. John Harbottle, Dr. Jack Lamey, Tom Brandes and Erik Hanson, all of whom are inductees of the PNGA Hall of Fame.
Last year’s Master-40 was held at Salish Cliffs Golf Club in Shelton, Wash. There, Nate Smith of Tetonia, Idaho won his first PNGA title with a 2 & 1 win in the championship match over Daniel Kirkham of Tigard, Ore. Smith – a former PGA TOUR pro – was later named 2025 PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. Since then, he won the 2026 Idaho Men’s Amateur.
Smith is returning this year to defend his title. Other past champions in the field include Erik Hanson (2017), Dana Christianson (2016), and Nate Hair (2014).
To be eligible, contestants must be 40 years of age or older by August 3, 2026. Competitors must have an up-to-date USGA Handicap Index or Golf Canada Handicap Factor not exceeding 8.4 at the time of entry, and must be a member in good standing of a PNGA Member Association.
The Pacific Northwest Men’s Master-40 Amateur is one of 11 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.
About Wine Valley
Wine Valley opened in 2009 and was designed by Northwest architect Dan Hixson. The long, treeless course sits some seven miles west of Walla Walla, among the rolling waves of pure Eastern Washington prairie. Built on land that once was wheat and alfalfa fields, Wine Valley is one of the state’s most expansive courses, measuring a little more than 7,600 yards at its longest. It has been an ideal location for Northwest championship golf, having hosted the PNGA Men’s Amateur three times, the Washington Men’s Amateur twice, and the Northwest Open Invitational a total of 12 times, among an assortment of other events.
