Randy Mahar (OGA photo)
SALEM, Ore. (Sept. 7, 2018) – Randy Mahar of Portland, Ore., defeated Ken Forster of Salem, Ore., 1 up, on Friday to win the 35th Oregon Senior Amateur Championship, played this week at Illahe Hills Country Club.
Mahar, the No. 10 seed in match play, parred the 18th hole to defeat Forster, the stroke-play medalist and No. 1 seed. The two players entered the final hole all square in their championship match.
Mahar jumped out to a quick 2-up lead through four holes in Friday’s final. Forster, playing at his home course, parred the ninth hole to cut Mahar’s lead to 1 up going into the back nine.
The final nine holes included chances for both players to win holes, but neither capitalized until the par-3 17th. With Forster already in with a par, Mahar missed his short chance to halve the hole, and the two went ahead to the 18th hole all square.
On the 18th hole, both players had putts for birdie. Mahar nuzzled his birdie try just short of the hole, and Forster conceded the par. Forster, putting for the win from just off the green, left his birdie chance 4 feet short. His opportunity to extend the match to extra holes slid just by, giving Mahar the title.
Mahar joins Scott Hval as the only two men’s players in OGA history to win the Oregon Amateur, Oregon Mid-Amateur and Oregon Senior Amateur in their careers.
The three drop flights also had championship matches on Friday. In the Flight I final, John Olmstead (Tualatin, Ore.) defeated Peter Fyhrie (Beaverton, Ore.) 1-up. The Flight II final match saw Tom Heckler (Lake Oswego, Ore.) defeat David Milne (Beaverton, Ore.) 4&2, while the Flight III championship match featured Jon Carey (Monmouth, Ore.) beating Tom Yurovchak (Hillsboro, Ore.) 1-up.
ABOUT THE
Oregon Senior Amateur
Entries are open to male and female amateur
golfers 50 years of age or older with USGA
Handicap Indexes of 18.1 or less and who are
members in
good
standing of an OGA member club. The field will be
limited to the lowest 96 qualified men. The
defending
champion and 31 finishers from the 18-hole stroke
play qualifier will advance to the single elimination
Championship flight match play portion of the
competition, with the remaining entrants placed in
single elimination match play flights according to
score. There will be NO age bracket flights.
View Complete Tournament Information