Nevada's Van Thomas Leads by Two Strokes, Northern California Leads by Two at 46th Hogan Cup Team Matches
PORTLAND, ORE (August 9, 2014) – Van Thomas of Las Vegas, Nev., made a strong showing during the opening round of the 46th Hogan Cup at Riverside Golf &Country Club to take a two-stroke lead into tomorrow’s final round.
Thomas, the 2014 Nevada State HS Champion, was one of only two players under par on the narrow, tree-lined 6,700 yard course. With excellent conditions for competition featuring only a touch of wind during the afternoon rounds, Riverside golf course challenged the players with a scoring average of 77.75.
Thomas’s round started out slowly with four straight pars before an eagle-par-birdie-birdie stretch on holes five through eight took him into the turn with a bogey-free 32. With bogies on the par-four 12th hole and par-four 14th, Thomas followed with a birdie on the par-five 15th hole before parring in for a three-under par 69.
“My brother asked me what my strategy was and it’s funny cause I just said ‘2 iron,’” Thomas said. “I think I only hit three or four drivers all day, so I left the driver in the bag and just tried to keep it in the fairway, hit some greens and hopefully some putts would drop and they did.”
Thomas’s brother, Zane, participated in the Hogan Cup five years; this is [Van] Thomas’s fourth Hogan Cup.
“We beat the heat and get out of Vegas,” Thomas said. “It means a lot, it’s always something that we look forward to – staying with our host family, it’s great. They love us!”
Justin Suh, of San Jose, Calif., sits just two strokes back in second place after the first round with a one-under par 71. Suh tied for runner-up at last year’s 45th Hogan Cup Team Matches. Michiel Eyre, of Salem, Ore., sits alone in third place after his even-par round of 72. Six players currently sit within five strokes of the lead.
In the team competition, which counts three of each team’s best four scores per hole, the team from Northern California sits atop the leaderboard with a four-over-par 220, while Oregon Team #2 sits just two back at 222 and the team from Nevada is just three back at 223.
“It was a start to another great Hogan Cup today,” said Director of Oregon Junior Golf Robyn Lorain. “This event memorializes the legacy of Eddie Hogan and the members and staff of Riverside are so gracious in their support of this event, we couldn’t do it without them!”
In 2013 Kevin Vigna of Team BC led his team to victory with a total score of three-under par 141 after rounds of 74 and 67 to lead Team BC to the team title as well.
Teams from Northern & Southern California have been dominant in this event over the past 20 years, winning 16 of those events. Oregon, which hosts two teams each year, last won in 2008. The last Team Oregon player to win as an individual was Dustin Andres with a 4-under-par 140 in 2003.
This year marks the 46th Hogan Cup Matches at Riverside Golf & Country Club – pitting the best-of-the-best in the region against each other in both a team format and individual format.
The Hogan Cup 36-hole team matches – held annually at Riverside Golf & Country Club in Portland, Ore. - pit the best junior golfers from the Western United States and Canada against each other in a team format with the three lowest scores each day determining the team total. Medals are awarded to the top three teams as well as the top three individuals in the field.
The event began in 1969 in commemoration of the vast achievements and contributions to the sport by Eddie Hogan, Riverside's long-time head golf professional who served the club from 1939 until his tragic drowning death in 1968. Hogan, an Oregon Amateur champion and PNGA Amateur champion, was credited for transforming the role of the golf professional, developing what is now considered the standard for the green grass pro shop. Hogan was also dedicated in helping the Oregon Golf Association develop its widely-recognized junior golf program.
Hogan Cup alumni include tour players such as Patrick Cantlay, Bobby Clampett, Fred Couples, Rickie Fowler, Lennie Clements, Scott Simpson, Robert Gamez, Bill Sanders, Kirk Triplett, John Fought, Peter Jacobsen, Jeff Quinney, Casey Martin, Jason Gore and Tiger Woods.
For more information on the Hogan Cup, including live scoring, event recaps, photos & more, visit www.hogancup.org
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM THE HOGAN CUP
About Oregon Junior Golf - Oregon Junior Golf seeks to promote life skills and values to kids through the game of golf. Since its inception, more than 10,000 young golfers between the ages of 8 and 17 have participated in Oregon Junior Golf. The Oregon Golf Association established Oregon Junior Golf Fund, Inc. (OJGF) as a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation for the purpose of introducing children to the sport as well as develop competitive junior golfers.
