Yuan Wins 115th Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur Championship
July 23, 2016 | Men's Golf
WALLA WALLA, Wash. – University of Washington sophomore Carl Yuan posted seven birdies and one eagle en route to claiming the 115th Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur Championship title on Saturday at Wine Valley Golf Club. Yuan defeated Andrew Whalen 5 and 3 following 33 holes to take home the Macan Cup, which is named after legendary golf course designer A.V. Macan.
The pair played the first 18 holes fairly even as no one got up more than one with them starting the second 18 holes all square. Yuan immediately went ahead on hole 19 as he was able to par the 426-yard par-4 hole. He then birdied hole 20 to go 2 up and really never looked back.
Despite Whalen winning hole 26, Yuan took hole 28, 30 and 31 before knocking in an eight-foot eagle putt on hole 33 to win the match 5 and 3.
"It was tough match, I knew from the start that he was a really good player and that he would play solid," said Yuan. "The first 18 holes, we just went back and forth. From the second 18, I knew I had to just play it shot by shot and see what happened. I hit some solid shots on the back nine on the second 18 and also had a little luck and was able to pull it off. This is definitely a big win for me, it's my first win here and my first match play win and I'm very excited about it."
Yuan advanced to the finals in somewhat dramatic fashion as he came from behind for a 1-up victory in the semifinals over Drew McCullough of Richland, Wash., after winning three of his last five holes. Yuan, who was the No. 2 seed in the championship's stroke play qualifying rounds, has had a successful summer he had qualified into the section state for 2016 U.S. Open, after just one year competing collegiately.
The championship began with 168 players, 64 of whom advanced to the single-elimination match-play bracket after two rounds of stroke-play qualifying. Each match was then contested over 18 except for today's match which was played out over 36 holes.
Past champions include Tiger Woods, Jeff Quinney, Ben Crane, Jeff Coston, Nick Flanagan, Jim McLean and Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famers Chandler Egan, Harry Givan, Jack Westland, Bud Ward and George Holland, among many others.
The Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur Championship is one of 15 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.
The pair played the first 18 holes fairly even as no one got up more than one with them starting the second 18 holes all square. Yuan immediately went ahead on hole 19 as he was able to par the 426-yard par-4 hole. He then birdied hole 20 to go 2 up and really never looked back.
Despite Whalen winning hole 26, Yuan took hole 28, 30 and 31 before knocking in an eight-foot eagle putt on hole 33 to win the match 5 and 3.
"It was tough match, I knew from the start that he was a really good player and that he would play solid," said Yuan. "The first 18 holes, we just went back and forth. From the second 18, I knew I had to just play it shot by shot and see what happened. I hit some solid shots on the back nine on the second 18 and also had a little luck and was able to pull it off. This is definitely a big win for me, it's my first win here and my first match play win and I'm very excited about it."
Yuan advanced to the finals in somewhat dramatic fashion as he came from behind for a 1-up victory in the semifinals over Drew McCullough of Richland, Wash., after winning three of his last five holes. Yuan, who was the No. 2 seed in the championship's stroke play qualifying rounds, has had a successful summer he had qualified into the section state for 2016 U.S. Open, after just one year competing collegiately.
The championship began with 168 players, 64 of whom advanced to the single-elimination match-play bracket after two rounds of stroke-play qualifying. Each match was then contested over 18 except for today's match which was played out over 36 holes.
Past champions include Tiger Woods, Jeff Quinney, Ben Crane, Jeff Coston, Nick Flanagan, Jim McLean and Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famers Chandler Egan, Harry Givan, Jack Westland, Bud Ward and George Holland, among many others.
The Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur Championship is one of 15 major, regional, amateur championships for men, women, juniors and seniors conducted annually by the PNGA throughout the Northwest.
Players Mentioned
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