Carl Yuan
(PNGA Photo)
WALLA WALLA, WA (July 23, 2016) -- Carl Yuan of Lake
Mary, Fla. defeated Andrew Whalen of Ephrata, Wash.,
5 and 3, in today's final match to win the 115th Pacific
Northwest Men's Amateur Championship.
The championship was held at Wine Valley Golf
Club in Walla Walla, Wash., and was conducted by the
Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).
The match between Yuan and Whalen saw 12 lead
changes in the first 18 holes of their scheduled 36-hole
match, and the two players stood All Square after the
morning round.
In the afternoon round, Yuan immediately won
holes 19 and 20, and although Whalen did birdie the
long par-3 26th hole to gain some ground, Yuan never
gave up the lead, closing out the match by sinking an 8-
foot putt for an eagle 3 on the uphill par-5 33rd hole. In
all, Yuan had seven birdies and an eagle in today's
match.
"It was a really tough match right from the start,"
Yuan said. "Andrew is a really good player. We don't
really know each other that much, but I knew he was a
solid player. It was back-and-forth all morning. It was
just shot-by-shot, and then I was able to build a little
lead to start the second round, and got a little luck, and
was able to pull it out at the end. You have to really
know these greens to play well here. It was a long
week, but by the end I was starting to figure out where
to put the ball."
For Yuan, this is his first victory in a match-play
format. "This is definitely one of my biggest wins."
Yuan, who earned the No. 2 seed in the
championship's stroke-play qualifying rounds, had come
from behind in yesterday's semifinal match with Drew
McCullough of Richland, Wash. to make it to today's
final match. Yuan will be a sophomore in the fall at the
University of Washington. Earlier this summer, he had
qualified into the Sectional stage for the 2016 U.S.
Open.
Whalen, the No. 16 seed, had defeated No. 1 seed
James Grierson in the Round of 16 on his journey
through the match-play bracket. Whalen qualified for
and played in the 2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, and last
week held the first round lead of the Rosauers Open
Invitational, a professional tournament held in Spokane,
Wash. Now a senior at Northwestern University, he
made it to the Round of 16 in the 2012 PNGA Men's
Amateur.
Whalen first entered the golf scene in 2011 when,
as an unheralded player, he made it to the quarterfinal
match of the 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur, being held that
year at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash. In
that quarterfinal match, he fell to the championship's
eventual winner, a young Jordan Spieth.
The championship began with a full field of 168
players, 64 of whom advanced to the single-elimination
match-play bracket after two rounds of stroke-play
qualifying. Each match was then contested over 18
holes, with the final match being played over 36 holes.
Yuan now adds his name to the Macan Cup, which
is named after legendary golf course designer A.V.
Macan, a member of the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of
Fame and winner of this championship in 1913.
The Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur is one of the
oldest championships in the world, and its past
champions include Tiger Woods, Jeff Quinney, Ben
Crane, Jeff Coston, Nick Flanagan, Jim McLean and
Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famers Chandler Egan,
Harry Givan, Jack Westland, Bud Ward and George
Holland, among many others.
The Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur Championship
is one of 15 major, regional, amateur championships for
men, women, juniors, and seniors conducted annually
by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.
Wine Valley previously hosted the Pacific Northwest
Men's Amateur Championship in 2012, and also was the
site of the 2013 Pacific Northwest Women's Amateur.
ABOUT THE
PNGA Amateur
First held in 1899, the Pacific Northwest Men’s
Amateur
is one of the country’s longest running amateur
championships. Held annually at world-class courses
throughout the Pacific Northwest, this championship
is
played in the same format as the U.S. Amateur and
features an impressive list of past champions that
include; Nick Flanagan, Ben Crane, Jeff Quinney, Bill
Sander, and Tiger Woods. Eligibility is open to
members
of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association and top
amateurs throughout the world invited via
Presidential
Invitation. Each year’s champion earns a hosted
exemption in to the Pacific Coast Amateur and
Sahalee
Players Championship.
The Championship will be conducted in two stages:
Stroke Play – All players must complete the 36-hole
stroke play qualifying in order to determine the 64
players who will advance to match play. In the event
of a tie for the final qualifying spot(s), a sudden-
death playoff will be used to determine the qualifiers.
In the event of a tie for the Qualifying Medalist, a
sudden-death playoff will commence.
Match Play – The General Numerical Draw will be in
effect. Single elimination match play. 36-hole
Championship Final Match. All other matches are 18
holes.
View Complete Tournament Information