Tom Brandes wins PNGA Master-40
Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash. won the 45th Pacific Northwest Master-40 Amateur Championship, beating Dana Christianson of Tacoma, Wash. 4&3 in today’s final match. The championship was held this week at Salishan Golf Links in Gleneden Beach, Ore., and conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).
Championship Links:
Brandes, the No. 1 seed in the match-play bracket after earning medalist honors in the championship’s 36-hole qualifier, and Christianson, the No. 3 seed, were tied after nine holes, but Brandes turned it up a notch after the turn, winning four of the next five holes, and sealing the match with a birdie on the par-3 15th.
“I was hitting the ball really solid before I came down here (to Salishan),” Brandes said. “I had no expectations, because I hadn’t played in anything since last fall. So, yeah, I hit it real well, and came out on top.”
Brandes had no double-bogeys during the two rounds of qualifying and five matches. “Anyone who’s played this course knows, if you’re not driving the ball well, you’re going to make some double-bogeys,” he said.
“I want to give a shout-out to Dana,” Brandes said. “A real gentleman. I’ve known him for many years, but we’ve never been paired together. He played really, really solid. I was kind of watching his game, and I thought I’d better bring my ‘A’ game.”
Brandes had been runner-up in the Master-40 twice previously. “Match play is a different animal,” he said. “And it’s good to finally not be the runner-up.”
Brandes was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf of Fame in 2015, and has been named the PNGA Senior Player of the Year seven times. He has numerous PNGA titles to his credit, but this is first Master-40 title.
Christianson had been trying for his second title in this championship, having won it in 2016.
Click here to watch Brandes’ post-match interview.
This year’s championship began with 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying on June 22-23 to determine match-play seeding. The full field of 72 competitors was cut to the low 32 scores, who then advanced to single-elimination match play. All matches were played at scratch.
The championship consisted of the top male amateur golfers in the Pacific Northwest over the age of 40.
To stay connected with the championship on social media, follow @thePNGA on Twitter.
Salishan Golf Links is an amenity of Salishan Resort. Originally opened in 1965, the golf course reopened in June of 2004 after a multimillion-dollar restoration overseen by Oregon golf legend and PGA Tour player Peter Jacobsen and his design firm, Jacobsen-Hardy Golf Design. The restoration preserves the layout and the spirit of Salishan’s fabled links while enhancing playability and opening the golf course to ocean views. Visit salishan.com/adventure/golf for more information.
During the current COVID-19 health crisis, the PNGA along with its championship venues are committed to the safety of all players, volunteers and staff of its championships, and have formulated a policy for safeguarding everyone’s safety.
The Pacific Northwest Master-40 Amateur is one of 15 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some cancellations have occurred in 2020, and the updated schedule can be viewed here.
