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Senior Amateurs win Senior Hudson Cup for ninth time; Hudson Cup finishes in a draw

For just the ninth time in Senior Hudson Cup history, the Senior Amateurs defeated the Senior PGA Professionals this week in the 28th Senior Hudson Cup, 10.5 to 9.5. In the 71st Hudson Cup, the PGA Professionals and the Amateurs finished in a draw, 10 to 10.

The Senior Hudson Cup teams
The Senior Hudson Cup teams
The Hudson Cup teams
The Hudson Cup teams

The illustrious event pitted 10 of the best amateur and senior amateur players from Washington and Oregon against the top 10 Pacific Northwest Section PGA professionals and senior professionals.

Each player competed in three matches during the two-day Ryder Cup-style competition, including a foursome match, a four-ball match, and a singles match.

Both events were held concurrently this week at Arrowhead Golf Club in Molalla, Ore.

The Charles Congdon Award went to Robbie Ziegler (voted on by the professional team) and the Larry Lamberger Award was presented to Brian Thornton (voted on by the amateur team).  In the Senior Matches, The Bill Eggers Award was presented to Tom Brandes (voted on by the senior professional team) while Brent Murray was bestowed the Bob McKendrick Award (voted on by the senior amateur team).

Click here to view 71st Hudson Cup results.

Click here to view 28th Senior Hudson Cup results.

History of the Hudson Cup

In 1949, two PGA Professionals from Oregon, Larry Lamberger and Al Zimmerman, thought the Pacific Northwest Section PGA should pay tribute to Robert A. Hudson, Sr., a successful businessman from Portland. Hudson is renowned in the golf world as the savior of the Ryder Cup matches after resurrecting it just two years removed from World War II. Because of Hudson’s generosity, the Ryder Cup was restored in 1947 at Portland Golf Club after Hudson came forward and covered most of the expenses of conducting the competition, including the cost of transporting the British team to the United States.

The first Hudson Cup matches were held at Portland Golf Club in 1949. The format was patterned after the Ryder Cup, with 36-hole foursome matches the first day and 36-hole singles the second day. The professionals, led by Bud Ward, Stan Leonard and Chuck Congdon, posted a 12.5 to 2.5 victory. When Hudson learned of the matches, he immediately insisted on footing the bill, and continued to do so through 1972. Today, the Pacific Northwest Section PGA is assisted by funds contributed by Washington Golf, the Oregon Golf Association and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.

The format was changed in 1966 when the foursome matches were shortened to 18-holes and four-ball competition was added for the first afternoon. Second-day singles, at 18 holes, complete the event, with a total of 20 points available. In 1992, the Senior Hudson Cup matches were added.

Click here for more information on the history of the Hudson Cup, including past results.