Strength apparent during match play rounds of 50th PNGA Men’s Master 40; quarterfinal matches set
Shelton, Wash. – The rounds of 32 and 16 at the 50th PNGA Men’s Master-40 Amateur saw multiple highly-seeded players advance to the final eight of the quarterfinal round.
The rounds, held at Salish Cliffs Golf Club in Shelton, Wash., came after two days of 18-hole stroke-play qualifying rounds.
Championship Links
No. 1 seed Nate Smith of Tetonia, Idaho, continued a dominant streak of play. Drawing Jason Clifford (Boise) during his first match, Smith jumped out to a 2-up lead by the end of the first nine, and won four of the next five holes to seal a 5 & 4 win by the 13th. The former PGA Tour player subsequently started his next match against Russell Humphrey (Lodi, Calif.) even stronger, winning three of the first four holes. Although Humphrey took hole Nos. 6 and 8, Smith again found success on the back side and eventually secured another 5 & 4 triumph.
Smith is ranked No. 438 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). He won the 2024 Idaho Men’s Amateur and, previously, the 2010 WNB Golf Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour while he was a professional. He has since regained his amateur status.
Gary Pike of Victoria, B.C. entered the bracket as the No. 2 seed, and he too had an efficient pair of matches. Against Mike Ross (Edmonds, Wash.), Pike came back from a 1-down deficit entering the second nine to win the match 4 & 3. Taking on Michael Cairns (Carnation, Wash.) in the afternoon, Pike opened up a 4-up lead by the turn and maintained it to take the match, 6 & 5.
Jeff Widdows of Yakima – the No. 9 seed – is also among the quarterfinalists, having eventually pulled away from Sean Packer (Normandy Park, Wash.) during the round of 32 to notch a 3 & 1 triumph. Widdows then found himself opposite Keith Crimp in the round of 16, his former high school golf coach. The match, friendly in nature, ended 3 & 2 in Widdows’ favor, with the former student never trailing his coach.
On the contrary to those players and others advancing, notable players eliminated throughout the day included 2020 Champion Tom Brandes (Bellevue, Wash.); four-time Master-40 Champion Erik Hanson (Kirkland, Wash.); 2016 Champion Dana Christianson (Tacoma, Wash.); and Brett Curtis (Sammamish, Wash.), who entered the day as the No. 3 seed.
The quarterfinal matches begin Thursday, Aug. 7 at 7:30 a.m., with the semifinals continuing later at 1 p.m. that same day. The final match will take place beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 8.
To be eligible for the championship, contestants must have been 40 years of age or older by August 4, 2025. 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.
