OGA Announces Squad for Upcoming 2016 PNGA Cup
WOODBURN, ORE. – The 11th PNGA Cup kicks off this week, with twelve of the best OGA players facing off against squads from Washington, Idaho and British Columbia, May 5-6 at Richmond Country Club in Richmond, B.C.
The Washington State Golf Association will be attempting to defend its title, having won last year when the event was held at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore.
The PNGA Cup was created in 2006 by past PNGA President Dr. Jack Lamey as a way of continuing the friendship and partnership of the region’s allied associations under the PNGA umbrella – British Columbia Golf, Idaho Golf Association, Oregon Golf Association and Washington State Golf Association.
Each association has selected a 12-person team consisting of eight men and four women. The representation includes four mid-amateur men of 25 years of age or older, two men of 40 years or older, two senior men of 55 years or older, two mid-amateur women of 25 years or older and two senior women of 50 years or older.
The annual Ryder Cup-style competition includes four-ball and foursome matches the first day and singles matches on the second and final day. With three matches for each player, the championship allows each competitor to compete against players from each of the other associations. With both men’s and women’s scores used to determine the team result, it is the only known event of its kind in the U.S.
Oregon’s PNGA Cup Team:
Men – Mid-Amateur: Trevor Harding (Portland, Ore.); Matt Hartley (Vancouver, Wash.); Justin Kadin (Corvallis, Ore.); Robbie Ziegler (Canby, Ore.)
Women – Mid-Amateur: Kate Harper (Portland, Ore.); Brie Stone (Veneta, Ore.)
Men – Master-40: Jim Dunlap (Tigard, Ore.); Tom Greller (Newberg, Ore.)
Women – Senior: Leilani Norman (Eugene, Ore.); Anita Wicks (Roseburg, Ore.)
Men – Senior: Jay Fredrickson (Hillsboro, Ore.); Pat O’Donnell (Clackamas, Ore.)
Men – Mid-Amateur: Trevor Harding is making his first appearance at the PNGA Cup. In 2015, he tied for first individually at the OGA Men’s Team Championship, while he also secured a strong finish at the Oregon Mid-Amateur Championship, ending the event in fifth place. Matt Hartley earned a T-2 finish in 2015 at the Oregon Public Links Championship, while also finishing fifth at last year’s Tournament of Champions and T-7 at the 2015 Oregon Mid-Amateur Championship.
Justin Kadin is representing Team Oregon for the second-straight PNGA Cup. He’s coming off a strong 2015 season, where he earned a win at the Oregon Mid-Amateur Championship. Kadin also finished T-4 at the 2015 Oregon Men’s Stroke Play, and made it to the quarterfinals of the 2015 PNGA Amateur Championship. Robbie Ziegler is making his PNGA Cup debut, but completed an impressive 2015 campaign, where he qualified for the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship and earned a spot in match play. Ziegler also finished T-10 at last year’s Oregon Men’s Stroke Play Championship.
Women – Mid-Amateur: Kate Harper is hoping to continue her strong play at her first PNGA Cup. Harper recently finished third at last month’s OGA Tournament of Champions, and completed a stellar 2015 golf season, winning the Oregon Women’s Mid-Amateur, making it to the quarterfinals of the Oregon Women’s Amateur and earning a T-6 finish individually at the USGA Women’s State Team Championship. Her mid-am counterpart, Brie Stone, has also had a very good last year of competition. She recently finished second at this year’s Tournament of Champions, and in 2015, finished second and T-2, respectively, at the Oregon Women’s Stroke Play and Oregon Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. She also represented Oregon at last year’s USGA Women’s State Team.
Men – Master-40: Jim Dunlap, playing in his second PNGA Cup, finished T-5 at the 2016 Tournament of Champions, and in 2015 had a number of impressive finishes. Along with qualifying for the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship by tying for medalist honors, he also won the Master-40 division at last year’s Oregon Men’s Stroke Play Championship and earned a T-2 at the Oregon Mid-Amateur Championship. Tom Greller is making his first appearance at the PNGA Cup, earning his spot after a pair of second place finishes in 2015: T-2 at the Oregon Public Links Championship and a T-2 in the Master-40 division at the Oregon Men’s Stroke Play.
Women – Senior: Both Senior Women representatives of Team Oregon in 2016, Leilani Norman and Anita Wicks, were a part of the squad in 2015. Norman recently earned a fifth place finish at April’s OGA Tournament of Champions, and last year, won the Oregon Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. She also won the 2015 PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and earned a T-3 finish at the Oregon Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship. Wicks won last year’s Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship, while finishing second to Norman at the PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.
Men – Senior: Jay Fredrickson will be making his PNGA Cup debut, coming off a second place finish in this year’s inaugural Senior Men’s division at the OGA Tournament of Champions. In 2015, Fredrickson finished second at the Oregon Senior Men’s Stroke Play Championship. Pat O’Donnell had an extremely impressive golf season in 2015, winning both the Oregon Senior Men’s Amateur Championship and Oregon Senior Men’s Stroke Play Championship. He also finished third, just behind Fredrickson, at the 2016 Tournament of Champions.
The host club of this year’s PNGA Cup, Richmond Country Club, is a 6,800 yard par-72, classic A.V. Macan designed golf course featuring tree-lined fairways, well-positioned bunkers and tricky, undulating greens. Established at its present site in 1958, the club has hosted major events such as the Canadian Junior Boy's Championship, the BC Men's Amateur Championship and the CN Canadian Women's Pacific Championship.
