The 2014 North Pacific Junior Ladies (NPJL) Team Matches concluded Sunday at Loomis Trail Golf Club at Semiahmoo in Blaine, WA. The Oregon Golf Association proudly sent Madison Odiorne (Bend, OR), Kaitlin Collom (Klamath Falls, OR), Deanna Salvatori (Salem, OR), Ellen Secor (Portland, OR) and Sophia Schiavone (Gresham, OR) to represent Oregon Junior Golf, and paired with 6 girls from the Washington Junior Golf Association to make up the United States team. The Canadian team included 12 girls representing British Columbia and Alberta combined.

The NPJL team matches are an annual contest between the North Pacific teams, and are modeled off the well-known Curtis and Solheim Cups, which are traditional Match-Play events utilizing various team formats.  Oregon Junior Golfers and Washington Junior Golfers were paired together in 2-person teams throughout the event.

After the first day of competition, the United States team led the Canadian team 11 to 7. Friday’s matches were played in a 4-Ball (Better Ball) format with 3 points at stake per match. The Front-9 was worth 1 point, the Back-9 was worth 1 point, and the total 18 holes were worth the final point.

On the second and final day of competition, 6 alternate shot matches unfolded where 2-person teams switch off hitting one-ball. The matches went back and forth throughout the whole day and Team USA rose to the occasion during the final stretch of holes in numerous matches. Team USA Captain, Bobbi Breslin, described the alternate shot format as “a very challenging format that demands a lot from each player”. Team USA held strong and captured victory of the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches by the final score of 19½ to 16½.

What cannot be noted by the score of the matches is the comradery and togetherness of Team USA. Team USA Captain Bobbi Breslin, described the bond of the girls as the “Best comradery team I’ve seen in a long time”. Breslin believed the true success of the week was the unselfishness of her team and their ability to put collective gain, before individual success. Overall, both teams displayed great sportsmanship and respect for each other throughout all of the events.

“It was a treat to coach these girls”, Breslin stated about her experience with Oregon and Washington’s top golfers. The 2015 N. Pacific Jr. Team Matches will take place over Memorial Day Weekend next year, and Oregon Junior Golf’s participants will be comprised of the Top 6 girls on the final 2014 Junior Team Points list.