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Chip Shots
» Making a fashion statement
» Idaho's Rawls receives honor
» Blakley set to lead PNWPGA
» Robinson's writing applauded
» Rees Jones draws lines in sand
» B.C. golf groups combine
» Trilogy's club at Redmond Ridge praised
» Evans Cup outings net nearly $300,000
» A driving force of PNGA dies
» Nicklaus North gets Skins Game
» Moore overruns Worlds
» Amateurs win Idaho's Carter Cup
» Pros take Hudson Cup
Making a fashion statement
What's become a common sight and regularly acceptedin the Northwest still is turning heads on the national scene.
We're talking about Idaho's Joe Malay and his interesting golfing attire.
At the U.S. Senior Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Malay made quite the impression, particularly at a course where
men are not allowed to wear shorts (except during this USGA event).
Golfweek magazine described his appearance this way:
"On the first day of qualifying, Malay wore shorts adorned with yellow, red and white flames. He added a red shirt, one yellow sock,
one red sock, and shoes that were spray-painted red, yellow and orange. Oh, and one of his fluorescent shoe-laces was orange, the
other red.
"On the second day, he wore orange-and-blue shorts, a tie-dyed orange-and-blue shirt, one orange shoe and one blue shoe."
Malay told the magazine, "Nothing matches, but everything goes together."
USGA officials told the magazine they weren't quite sure how to interpret the rule that players must be presentably dressed.
Idaho's Rawls receives honor
The Pacific Northwest Section PGA has presented Ron Rawls, the head golf professional at Crane Creek Country Club in Boise, with its highest
honor, the 2004 PNWPGA Golf Professional of the Year.
Rawls had been the head pro at Illahe Hills Country Club in Salem, Ore., until recently moving to Boise. The award is presented to someone
based on their outstanding leadership abilities, exceptional performance as a PGA Professional and distinguished service to the PNWPGA and
the game of golf.
The PNWPGA presented a total of 11 individual awards, including Jeff Coston of the Semiahmoo Resort as the Player of the Year. A complete
listing is available at www.pnwpga.com.
Blakley set to lead PNWPGA
Les Blakley, the director of golf at Spokane Country Club, has been elected as the 36th president of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA.
Blakley was elected at the PNWPGA's annual meeting in Portland in October, and he succeeds Doug Doxsie of Seattle Golf Club, who has been
president since 2000.
Blakley joined the staff at Spokane Country Club in 1985 and became the director of golf in 1991. He's been a member of the PGA of America
since 1986.
Other officers elected by the PNWPGA were vice president Pat Huffer of Stewart Park Golf Course in Roseburg, Ore., and secretary Dan Hill
of Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle.
Robinson's writing applauded
More than four decades of golf journalism with The Oregonian newspaper in Portland were honored when the Northwest Golf Media Association
presented Bob Robinson with its Distinguished Service Award.
Robinson was lauded at the NWGMA's annual tournament and banquet, held in October at Rainier Golf and Country Club in Seattle.
"Bob's career is a perfect example of the NWGMA's mission statement, 'promoting the best interests of the game of golf in the Pacific
Northwest,'" said Paul Ramsdell, president of the NWGMA, who presented the award.
Robinson began his career at The Oregonian in 1961 and covered golf for the newspaper since the mid-1960s. During that time he covered
24 major championships, two Ryder Cups and more than 30 LPGA Tour events. Now retired, Robinson continues to write a weekly golf column
for The Oregonian.
Rees Jones draws lines in sand
It's taken awhile, but one of the biggest names in golf course architecture is finally making an imprint on the Coachella Valley.
Rees Jones, who has handled the remodel work on seven different U.S. Open courses, is designing the course at Andalusia at Coral Mountain
in La Quinta, Calif.
"If I had to wait so long to develop a course in the Coachella Valley, I waited for the right one," Jones said.
The first of two private courses at Andalusia is already under construction and expected to open in the spring of 2005. Andalusia at Coral
Mountain is a 1,000-acre community in La Quinta with approximately 900 home sites.
"The homes will sit elevated and won't encroach on the golf course, yet will have long vistas of the course's cascading water features and
desert landscaping," said Jones, who added there will plenty of shot options and ample room off the tees.
B.C. golf groups combine
As far as golf is concerned, one of the biggest mega-mergers is now complete, with the coming together this fall of the British Columbia
Golf Association and the British Columbia Ladies Golf Association.
"I think that both associations realized if we were going to do this it was an opportune time to make fairly significant major changes to
our operation and both sides were willing to do that so we came out with something in the end that was pretty good," said Kris Jonasson,
the executive director of the new-look BCGA.
The final result is that the BCGA will consist of 64,000 adult members, men and women, and 7,000 junior members, and all members of the
new BCGA will be members in the Pacific Northwest Golf Association as well.
"The PNGA congratulates all our friends in British Columbia who worked so very hard to bring about this very positive merger between the
BCGA and BCLGA," said John Bodenhamer, the executive director of the PNGA. "The 'joining of forces' of the men's and women's associations
in the province will have many long-term benefits for the game of golf in British Columbia, as well as in the entire Pacific Northwest."
Jonasson said the new BCGA will now try to combine the strengths of both groups.
Trilogy's club at Redmond Ridge praised
Golf Inc. Magazine has honored Trilogy Golf Club at Redmond Ridge as the Nation's Best New Clubhouse for Public Facilities.
The clubhouse just east of Seattle opened in October of 2003 and is 11,567 square feet. It was designed by the Williams + Paddon
Architects of Roseville, Calif. Design Lines of Everett, Wash., did the interior design.
The Pacific Northwest theme and the hint of autumn are evident in the building's décor with its warm earth tones.
Evans Cup outings net nearly $300,000
Almost $300,000 was raised for the Evans Scholarship Program through the two Evans Cup tournaments and from major contributions from the
Tournament Golf Foundation, Inc., and the LPGA Tour's Safeway Classic.
The Evans Cup of Oregon was held in September at Portland Golf Club. A record total of approximately $130,000 was raised, with $100,000 of
that through the "Fund a Scholar" contributions, most of which came from TGFI and the Safeway Classic.
The two organizations were instrumental in establishing a scholarship fund as a memorial to Elon Ellis, who was one of the founders of
both TGFI and the Evans Cup of Oregon.
The $130,000 raised at the Evans Cup of Oregon topped the record of $103,000 set last year.
In Washington, approximately $165,000 was raised at the Evans Cup of Washington held at Tacoma Country & Golf Club in August.
A driving force of PNGA dies
Dick Kanda, a past president of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, died Sept. 4 in his Olympia home after a seven-month battle with
pancreatic cancer. He was 75.
Kanda will be remembered as a tireless volunteer and friend to golf associations in the Northwest and across the country.
Part of Kanda's legacy with the PNGA will be as the founder of the annual Senior Team Championships. In his memory, the winners of that
championship will now receive the Dick Kanda Memorial Perpetual Trophy.
Kanda was the president of the PNGA in 1997-98 and had been a director with the association since 1988. He had been a director with the
Washington State Golf Association since 1986.
In 2000, he was awarded the PNGA's Distinguished Service Award.
Nicklaus North gets Skins Game
Whistler's Nicklaus North will be the first golf course to earn the distinction of being a repeat venue in the 13-year run of the successful
Telus Skins Game in Canada.
Nicklaus North was the site in 1997 and that event sold out in less than an hour. The broadcast in 1997 from Whistler garnered the highest
ratings in the history of the event.
Dates and players for the event this year are still to be finalized.
"I am extremely pleased that the Telus Skins Game will be returning to one of Golf B.C.'s signature properties, Nicklaus North, to
celebrate the facility's 10th anniversary," said Caleb Chan, president of Golf B.C.
Moore overruns Worlds
With Puyallup's Ryan Moore leading the way and claiming the individual title, the United States was the easy winner at the World
Amateur Team Championships a month ago.
Moore was at 12-under 204 when rain wiped out the final round at the Rio Mar Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
The Americans led all three days in the team race among the 66 countries. The U.S. had a 25-under 407 to beat Spain by nine strokes,
Sweden by 10 and Canada, Switzerland and Italy by 15.
"This feels better than any of the other events," said Moore, who has played in Walker Cup and Palmer Cup competition, but had never
tasted a team victory. "It's an amazing feeling. We went out and fought for each other and fought for the team. I'm happy we can send
it off to the next USA team."
For the Canadian team, Craig Doell of Victoria, B.C., tied for 10th overall with a 6-under 210. James Lepp of Abbotsford, B.C.,
tied for 18th with a 4-under 212. Doell won the PNGA Men's Mid-Amateur in a playoff a couple of weeks before the World Amateur
Team Championship.
Amateurs win Idaho's Carter Cup
A group of 10 amateurs representing the Idaho Golf Association captured the 32nd Carter Cup by beating a team of professionals
from the Rocky Mountain Section of the PGA.
The 31.5 to 28.5 victory at SpurWing Country Club in Meridian, Idaho, was the first for the amateurs since 1998. Last year,
the pros won 44-16. This year, captain Joe Malay led a young amateur team that included six rookies.
"It was nip and tuck coming down the stretch and my last five players just didn't make any mistakes," Malay told the Idaho
Press-Tribune.
Matt McPhie was one of the top amateur players, winning seven of a possible nine points in the three rounds of competition.
Pros take Hudson Cup
With a dominating day in the foursome and fourball matches, the professionals had no trouble continuing their dominance over the
amateurs in the 56th Hudson Cup, played at Riverside Country Club in Portland.
The pros won 13.5 to 6.5 after posting an 8-2 lead the first day of the two-man partners competition. The pros now have a 47-6-3
overall edge.
Bob Rannow of Sandpines was named the top player among the pros and Eric Fiskum of Illahe Hills of Salem, Ore., was the top amateur.
In the 13th Senior Hudson Cup matches, the pros were 13-7 winners to take a 7-5-1 overall lead in the competition.
The senior pros also had a big first day, taking a 7.5 to 2.5 lead and then winning the singles 5.5 to 4.5.
Tom Carey of Meriweather National was named the top player among the pros for his 3-0 record. Kent Forster of Illahe Hills
was named the top senior amateur.
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