Quarterfinal Matches Set at 41st Pacific Northwest Men’s Master-40 Amateur Championship
The first day of match play in the 41st PNGA Men’s Master 40 Amateur Championship kicked off this morning on the Mountain Course at Bear Mountain Golf Club in Victoria, British Columbia. Stroke play medalist Craig Larson (Tacoma, WA) won the first match of the day in a decisive 6&5 victory. Defending champion, Erik Hanson (Kirkland, WA), also got off to a quick start this morning winning his match 9&8. Dana Christianson (Tacoma, WA) produced the shot of the tournament thus far, with a hole-in-one on the 173-yard Par 3, 7th hole. This shot accompanied by a steady morning round propelled him to a 7&6 victory to advance to the round of 16 later in the afternoon.
The second round of a long day of match play began early in the afternoon, giving the participants little time to re-energize and prepare for their Round of 16 matches. Travis Eggers (Fort St. John, British Columbia) played a brilliant match shooting three-under par, on his way to a 7&6 win, to move on to the quarterfinals. 2003 champion Paul Houvener (Mill Creek, WA) played consistent golf all day, winning both of his matches 3&2 to also advance to the next round. The higher seeds did not prevail in all matches, as the afternoon provided two big upsets in the championship. Dale Goehring (Calgary, Alberta) defeated the second overall seed on the final hole to earn his spot in the quarterfinals. Chris Morley (Burnaby, British Columbia) battled his way back from three down at the turn to upset the number three seed and secure one of the final spots in the quarterfinals.
The Quarterfinal Round begins at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow and play continues in the afternoon with the Semifinal round beginning at 12:30 p.m. Follow the action live on twitter using the hasthtag #PNGAMensMaster40 and interacting with us at @PNGALIVE.