Round One Recap: PNGA Senior & Super Senior Men’s Amateur Championship
In what was an unusually hot morning that turned in to a warm and breezy afternoon, the 52nd Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s Amateur Championship and 7th Super Senior Men’s Amateur Championship kicked off today at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton, B.C.
After round one in the Senior Championship, Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash., and Gene Cook of Woodinville, Wash., share the lead at 2-under par. Brandes has won this Championship twice and is the 5-time reigning PNGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year. He played a very steady round as he posted four birdies on the day. His only mistake came at the fourteenth hole when he struggled to recover from the fescue left of the fairway and wound up making double bogey. Cook had a much more up and down round which included 7 birdies and a stretch where he birdied four of seven holes. He managed to avoid making any big numbers on a course where they can happen quickly, however he struggled to avoid making bogies and would make five on the day.
Three players sit just two shots behind the leaders at even par. Big Sky Golf Club member Lance Lundy of Pemberton, B.C., birdied the eighteenth hole to shoot a 2-under par back nine of 34 and recover nicely from a start that saw him bogey three of the first six holes. Norm Bradley of Kelowna, B.C., followed a similar path as Lundy as he used a 3-under back nine of 33 to erase a start that saw him sitting at 3-over through five holes. Also tied with Lundy and Bradley is Ken Wade of Kennewick, Wash., who played a steady round that included three birdies and three bogeys. Five additional players sit within four shots of the leaders to round out the top ten after round one.
In the Super Senior Championship, Rick Weihe of Bellingham, Wash., set the pace at 3-under par, 69. Rick closed his round with a back nine of 3-under, 33 that included birdies on three of his last five holes and made for a total of five birdies on the day. He was the only player to break par in the Super Senior Championship. Two shots behind him at even par sits Gudmund Lindbjerg of Port Moody, B.C., who got out to a fast start by posting a 4-under par, 32 on his front nine before giving all four strokes back with two bogeys and a double on the back. One behind him and three back of Weihe is Tom Kubisa of Bremerton, Wash., who made four birdies and five bogeys on his way to a 1-over par, 73.
Two past champions are in the top ten and still within striking distance after the first round. 2014 Champion, Chris Maletis of Portland, Ore., is alone in fifth after a 3-over par 75. One back of him in a tie for sixth is defending Champion Ron Garland of Bozeman, Mont., who posted a 4-over par, 76.
The second round of the Senior Championship begins tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. and the Super Senior Championship at 10:30 a.m. You can view 9-hole scoring live HERE and follow the action live on twitter using the hasthtags #PNGASrMensAm and #PNGASupSrMensAm and by interacting with us at @PNGALIVE.
