Wang earns No. 1 seed at PNGA Women’s Amateur; Proteau medals at Mid-Amateur; match play begins tomorrow

Ziyi Wang, a rising sophomore at Stanford University, shot rounds of 69-74 to earn medalist honors in the 116th Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur; while Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C. shot rounds of 74-73 to earn medalist honors in the 16th Pacific Northwest Women’s Mid-Amateur.

Both players have earned the No. 1 seed heading into their respective match-play brackets. For the Women’s Amateur, 32 players advance to match play, while 16 players in the Women’s Mid-Amateur advance.

The format will now be single-elimination match play, with each match conducted over 18 holes, with the exception of the Women’s Amateur final match, which will be contested over 36 holes on Friday, July 21.

For the match play brackets, tee times, pairings and to follow along with live scoring, visit www.thepnga.org.

To stay connected on social media, follow @PNGALIVE on Twitter for live updates and use the hashtag #PNGAWomensAm.

Both championships are being held concurrently this week on the par-71 Fairwood Golf and Country Club in Renton, Wash. and conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).

Wang’s first round of 2-under 69 was the only under-par round in the field. Born in Beijing, China, Wang became the youngest winner (and amateur) on the China LPGA Tour when she won the 2014 Xiamen Challenge at age 16. She also won the 2014 Callaway World Junior Championship.

“This is my first time to the Northwest,” Wang said. “My coach told me this was a good event to play in. It’s a good golf course. I made some mistakes on today’s back nine, but that happens.”

Other players in the exceptionally strong field in this year’s Women’s Amateur to make it to match play are Julianne Alvarez and Karen Miyamoto, both of Seattle, and Gigi Stoll of Tigard, Ore. Last week all three players qualified for the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur, with Stoll taking medalist honors.

Stoll is a rising junior at the University of Arizona, and last month she won her third Oregon Women’s Amateur title. She is a two-time recipient of the PNGA Women’s Player of the Year award (2014, 2015), and also named the 2013 PNGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year.

Alvarez and Miyamoto are teammates on the University of Washington women’s golf team, and last month Alvarez won the Washington State Women’s Amateur, with Miyamoto finishing second. Alvarez, a native of New Zealand, has twice won the New Zealand Amateur (2013, 2015).

Also making match play are Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., the 2014 PNGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year and 2016 PNGA Women’s Player of the Year who also won the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls’ National Championship and qualified for the 2016 LPGA Tour’s Cambia Portland Classic; and Marianne Li of Bellevue, Wash., who won the 2016 Washington State Women’s Amateur.

Proteau played a practice round at Fairwood prior to this week’s championship, but otherwise had not played the course before. “It’s a great course for match play,” said Proteau, who says she loves match play format. “I hardly ever get to play a match-play event, so I love this championship.”

Proteau is a three-time PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year (2012, 2013, 2015).

Others to make it into the Mid-Amateur match play are Amanda Jacobs of Portland, who is the defending champion and also won this championship in 2014. Jacobs was named the PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016.

Shawn Farmer of Renton was runner-up to Jacobs in last year’s championship, and will be looking to take the final step this year.

Past champions Alison Murdoch (2006, 2008) of Victoria, B.C. and Sandra Turbide (2010, 2011) of Maple Ridge, B.C. also made it into match play.

First held in 1899, the Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur Championship is one of the oldest amateur golf championships in the world. Past champions include Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famers who made up the Golden Age of female golfers in the Northwest such as JoAnne Gunderson Carner, Jo Ann Washam, Pat Lesser Harbottle, Edean Ihlanfeldt, Violet Pooly Sweeney, Marcia Fisher, and Betty Jean Hulteng, among others. Past champions also include many others who would later go on to the LPGA Tour, such as Jimin Kang, Peggy Conley, Ruth Jessen and Shirley Englehorn.

The Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur are two of 15 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.

The PNGA was founded on February 4, 1899. It is a 501c3 charitable, international, amateur golf association dedicated to preserving the true spirit of golf by supporting its allied associations, conducting quality championships, and promoting activities beneficial to golfers in the Pacific Northwest. For more than a century, the Association has been a pioneer in developing competitions and services and its mission has grown and evolved. Today, the PNGA remains committed to being a truly regional organization providing benefits and services to its members and member clubs throughout the Northwest.