Championship Matches Set at the 86th Bob Norquist Oregon Junior Amateur
CANBY, ORE.– For many golfers, the semifinal match is where the mental part of golf becomes a real factor. Every golfer dreams of playing in the championship match, and when you are one win away from living that dream, the mind can start wandering. On Thursday, two players from each division were able to succeed mentally and physically to advance to Friday’s championship.
The PeeWees (Ages 8-11) led off the cool, breezy morning. Medalist Elliot Lee defeated four-seed Issaac Stouder, 4&3 to start things off. Lee has had enough success in match play that he has not played the eighth or ninth holes since stroke play qualifying. Three-seed Eli Huntington played two-seed Simon Grey in a match that went all the way to the ninth hole. Huntington won the match 1-up to advance to the championship match against Lee. The PeeWee boys will play 18 holes tomorrow, beginning on the tenth hole at 10:00am.
Things were shaken up in the Peewee girls division when medalist Emily Song was ousted by four-seed, Zoe Newell. Newell defeated Song 2&1 to advance to the championship match. Things got even crazier when seven-seed Cierra Ferguson, who upset two-seed, Jade Gruher, in the quarterfinals, continued her tear, beating Cassie Kennon, 2-up to advance to the finals. The PeeWee Girls final match kicks off at 11:00am tomorrow.
The Intermediate Boys division (Ages 12-13) finalized its championship participants after a couple of unique matches. Medalist Scotty Kennon made it to the finals after taking down 12-seed Owen Huntington, 6&5. However, two-seed Brody Marconi had some trouble with three-seed Mateo Fuenmayor. The two battled all the way to the 16th hole, where Fuenmayor won, 3&2. Kennon and Fuenmayor will face off in the championship match starting at 10:10am tomorrow.
The Intermediate Girls (Ages 12-14) division semifinals saw a couple of interesting matches, as well. Medalist Olivia Venderby squeaked past four-seed Baylee Hammericksen on the 17th hole to win 2&1. Meanwhile, Brady Turnquist, the tenth seed, continued her impressive run, beating three-seed Mary Scott Wolfe, 5&4. Venderby and Turnquist will play for the title tomorrow starting at 10:20am.
The Boys division (Ages 14-15) provided the nail-biters today. Four-seed Nate Stember, who just last week was the medalist in the Boys Junior Amateur qualifier at Pumpkin Ridge, surged past medalist Jackson Kennon to win 1-up in a match that went 19 holes. Playing in the same group, two-seed Samuel Pyon had his hands full with six-seed Austin Carnese. Carnese held on until the end before Pyon won on the 18th hole, 2-up. Pyon and Stember will square off tomorrow in the Championship match at 10:30am.
The Girls division featured a lopsided win and then a nail-biter in its semifinal matches. Three-seed Haley Greb finished her match against 15-seed Camille Dozois early, winning 5&4. However, the match between medalist Ellie Slama and four-seed Madalyn Ardueser was a little more dramatic. The two battled back and forth the entire day. After a three putt on the 18th hole by Ardueser, Slama was able to close, winning 1-up. Slama and Greb begin their duel for the championship tomorrow at 10:40am. In other news, Alisa Kobayashi recorded a hole-in-one on the thirteenth hole. She used a seven-iron for the 125-yard shot in her Girls fourth flight match.
In the Junior boys division (Ages 16-17), the day was both a test of golf and endurance as they had to play 36 holes to advance to the final. The Junior quarterfinal matches took place in the morning, and then the semifinal matches in the afternoon, for those who qualified. In the quarterfinals, medalist Spencer Tibbits, four-seed Michael Eyre, seven-seed Richie Mikesell, and six-seed Mayson Tibbs all advanced. After a quick lunch break, they began their semifinal matches. In the afternoon, Tibbits, who was playing Eyre, seemed to be immune to the fatigue. He breezed through his match, winning on the 15th hole, 5&4. Bearing the weight of the journalists drooling over the linguistic possibilities of a Tibbs vs. Tibbits finale, Tibbs could not keep up with Mikesell. Mikesell came out strong in the semifinal match and his own 5&4 win earned him the right to play Tibbits for the championship tomorrow starting at 10:50am.
With the seven championship matches confirmed, the day comes to the close. Willamette Valley Country Club’s beautiful tree-lined fairways will play host to tomorrow's championship action to conclude the week. Spectators are encouraged to attend.
