Back to all posts

Jul 6, 2017

Portland Classic Amateur Open offers winner a chance to play against the world’s best in LPGA tournament

Tournament Golf Foundation (TGF), the organizers of the Portland Classic, will host a one-day amateur-only event that guarantees the winner a spot in the LPGA Tour’s oldest non-major tournament.

The Portland Classic Amateur Open will be held at Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Ore. on Wednesday, August 9, 2017. Any woman amateur golfer with an established USGA handicap of 2.0 or less is eligible to compete.

The winner of the event will earn a guaranteed spot in the 72-hole Portland Classic tournament proper to be held August 31-September 3 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland. The second and third place finishers will earn spots alongside professionals in the tournament’s Monday qualifier to be held on Monday, August 28. The top two finishers from the Monday qualifier will also earn entry into the Portland Classic.

Last year, Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C. won the Portland Classic Amateur Open. Ko, who plays for North Carolina State and is a member of Team Canada, carded a 1-under par 71 to earn the spot in the LPGA tournament where she then made the cut and finished T-71. Sydney Maluenda of George Fox University finished second with a round of 72 and UCLA’s Mariel Galdiano finished third at 74, earning each of them opportunities to compete in the tournament’s Monday qualifier alongside professionals. Galdiano won the Monday qualifier to join Maluenda in the LPGA tournament after a late withdrawal by a pro created an opening for her to be granted an exemption.

With Naomi Ko, last year’s winner of the Portland Classic Amateur Open, are Cambia Portland Classic Tournament Chairman Don Ossey (left) and Tournament Golf Foundation President Tom Maletis (right).

Said Tom Maletis, president of Tournament Golf Foundation, “We were very pleased to see all three of these outstanding amateurs play in the Portland Classic against the world’s best pros. It is rare to have three of our Amateur Open participants find their way to the LPGA tournament. They have all had remarkable performances since the Portland Classic and we hope the experience on the LPGA stage contributed to their success.”

Fourteen former Portland Classic Amateur Open participants have gone on to become members of the LPGA (Caroline Inglis, Allison Hanna, Angel Yin, SooBin Kim, Lee Lopez, Ayaka Kaneko, Paige Mackenzie, Jennie Lee, Sydnee Michaels, Jane Rah, Tiffany Joh, Mi Jung (MJ) Hur, Sadena Parks, and Ryann O’Toole). Hur won the Portland Classic in 2009, just two years after participating in the Portland Classic Amateur Open.

The Portland Classic Amateur Open will have a $95 entry fee and players can get an application by calling the Tournament Golf Foundation office at 503-626-2711 or by visiting the news section of the tournament web site, www.portlandclassic.com. Entry deadline for the event will be August 4, 2017. Or click here for the entry form.

The 72-hole Portland Classic tournament features a purse of $1.3 million and broadcast coverage on Golf Channel for all four rounds. Brooke Henderson won both the 2015 and 2016 tournaments, joining Kathy Whitworth and Annika Sorenstam to become only the third player in tournament history to successfully defend the Portland Classic title.

Tickets to the Portland Classic are available now at www.PortlandClassic.com.

Tournament Golf Foundation is a local Portland area nonprofit comprised largely of volunteers who donate their time and provide the primary operations for the annual event. Begun in 1972, the group is now comprised of more than 50 local individuals. Since its inception, the event has raised over $18 million for a variety of local organizations.

Langdon Farms Golf Club is ranked as the No. 1 course to host tournaments and corporate events in Portland, and rated four out of five stars by Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play.” Designed by John Fought and Robert Cupp, Langdon Farms opened for play in 1995 and is professionally managed by OB Sports Golf Management.

For more information on the Portland Classic and Tournament Golf Foundation, visit www.portlandclassic.com or call 503-626-2711. For more information on Langdon Farms Golf Club or for practice rounds, visit www.langdonfarms.com or call 503-678-4653.