Woodburn, Ore. (October 21, 2014) – Ten of the top amateur golfers from Oregon and Washington will compete against 10 of the very best Pacific Northwest Section PGA members in the 66th Hudson Cup, while the top 10 senior amateurs from the Pacific Northwest will take on the top 10 senior members of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA in the 23rd Senior Hudson Cup. Both competitions will be held at Tualatin Country Club in Tualatin, Ore. from October 22-24.

In cooperation with the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA), the OGA and WSGA selected a total of 10 amateurs and 10 senior amateurs to compete against the professionals in the Ryder Cup-style matches. Of the 10 players in each category, five represent the OGA and five represent the WSGA.  Amateur team members are selected based on performance points earned through each respective amateur golf association. The Pacific Northwest Section PGA also selects their professional team members based on performance points earned throughout the season.

Each player will play three matches: A Foursome Match, a Four-Ball Match and a Singles Match. At the completion of each event, awards are presented to the outstanding player on each team as decided by votes of the team members. The awards honor Chuck Congdon, Larry Lamberger, Bob McKendrick, and Bill Eggers, four great players with outstanding Hudson Cup records.

The five players representing the OGA in this year’s Hudson Cup make up one of the youngest squads of recent memory. Seventeen-year-old Cole Madey (West Linn, Ore.) is one of the players competing at Tualatin CC. Madey has had an outstanding 2014 season, finishing as runner-up in this year’s PNGA Amateur Championship and in the 2014 Oregon Junior Amateur Championship. Joining Madey from the OGA on the Hudson Cup team are USGA State Team members Justin Kadin (Corvallis, Ore.) and Jesse Heinly (Bend, Ore.), Matt Hartley (Vancouver, Wash.) and Charlie Rice (Bend, Ore.).

Representing the OGA in the Senior Hudson Cup are Randy Mahar (Portland, Ore.), Pat O’Donnell (Happy Valley, Ore.), Scott Hval (Portland, Ore.), Tim O’Neal (Vancouver, Wash.) and Mike Kloenne (West Linn, Ore.).

The Hudson Cup and Senior Hudson Cup have a long and storied history in the Pacific Northwest. In 1949, two PGA Professionals from Oregon, Larry Lamberger and Al Zimmerman, thought the Pacific Northwest Section PGA should pay tribute to Robert A. Hudson, Sr.  A successful businessman from Portland, Hudson is renowned in the golf world as the savior of the Ryder Cup Matches after resurrecting it just two years removed from World War II.  Because of Hudson’s generosity, the Ryder Cup was restored in 1947 at Portland Golf Club after Hudson came forward and covered most of the Ryder Cup tab, including the cost of transporting the British team to the United States.

The first Hudson Cup matches were held at Portland Golf Club in 1949. The format was patterned after the Ryder Cup, with 36-hole foursome matches the first day and 36-hole singles the second day. The professionals, led by Bud Ward, Stan Leonard and Chuck Congdon, posted a 12 ½ to 2 ½ victory.  When Hudson learned of the matches, he immediately insisted on footing the bill, and continued to do so through 1972.  Today, the Pacific Northwest Section PGA is assisted by funds contributed by the Washington State Golf Association, the Oregon Golf Association, and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association. The format was changed in 1966 when the foursome matches were shortened to 18-holes and four-ball competition was added for the first afternoon. Second day singles, at 18-holes, complete the event, with a total of 20 points available.

In 1992, the Senior Hudson Cup Matches were added. Professional team captains are appointed by the President of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA, and amateur team captains are appointed by the OGA and WSGA. For more information on the history of the Hudson Cup Matches, including past results, go to http://www.pnwpga.com/hudson_cup.htm.

Here is a complete playing roster of the upcoming Hudson Cup Matches:

66^th HUDSON CUP MATCHES

PGA Professionals                                                                           Amateurs

23^rd SENIOR HUDSON CUP MATCHES

Senior PGA Professionals                                                              Senior Amateurs