The 2023 Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Amateur was everything a golf enthusiast could want. This week, four new champions, including a winner who was chasing records, a sweaty finish, and a final that came down to the wire, were crowned at Wine Valley Golf, in Walla Walla.
Seniors (55-64)
Bradley Karns started Wednesday’s final day three shots behind the leader Jon Lindstrom.
Karns was confident of his ability to complete the task. He had over 275 rounds under his belt, including a Washington State Senior Amateur victory in 2016 and a second-place finish at last year’s tournament.
“When I got to this age, you were kind of in the middle a bit and playing in tournaments,” Karns said Golfweekspan size=”font weight: 400 ;”>. “You [just] kind of [put] your head down and keep grinding .”
Lindstrom struggled to the finish of the front nine. He carded a front-nine 38, and Karns gained two strokes on him as they turned. Karns’ birdie at the par-3 11th hole moved him into a tie with the leader, setting up the shootout on the final seven.
Lindstrom took the lead back with a birdie at No. Lindstrom regained the lead with a birdie on No. With a bogey, 16 is eliminated.
Karns took his first solo lead in the tournament at No. Lindstrom’s bogey on 17 gave Karns his first solo lead of the tournament. The three-time U.S. Senior Am qualifying player took advantage of his local knowledge to make easy work of par-5 18th. He won his first Golfweek Senior Amateur by just one stroke.
“I just try to put my head down and keep grinding away… There’s some really good players around the Pacific Northwest and I’m just trying to fit in is all I’m trying do.” “I just keep my head down, and try to grind away… There are some really good players in the Pacific Northwest. I’m only trying to fit into is all I’m doing .”
Lindstrom’s runner-up finish moves him into the top five of the Golfweek Senior Amateur Rankings. Lindstrom, who was 6th in the Golfweek Senior Amateur rankings going into the tournament, has a double benefit as the top five players weren’t in the field.
Super Seniors (65-69)
Scott Masingill had a 16 stroke lead going into the final round. The only question was not but how much he would win.
Masingill said to Golfweek, “Yesterday we discussed confidence.” You can be overconfident and think that you don’t need to concentrate.
Golf can be a very humbling game, no matter how good you are at it.
Masingill was able to tap it in for par at the par-4 ninth. The 1971 Pac-8 Conference champion (1971, Oregon State) made a bogey by sweeping it into the hole. Masingill, who closed the championship with a score of 3-over-75, had some wise words for everyone:
There’s a right amount and intensity. You can’t play too hard or assume you are a great player and that everything will be fine if you just go and play. .”
Masingill, despite the uncharacteristic performance on the day, closes out the week in Wine Valley with a score of 7 under 209 – the best par score across the field – and a win by 17 strokes in the Super Senior Division. The 72-year old Idaho legend did not do badly for himself.
Dan Parkinson (10 and over) and Frank Maxwell (over 12) completed the podium.
Legends (70-74)
Michael Jonson, who had a score of 10 over 226 in the Legend Division, retained his 36 hole lead. Greg Tatham (12 over) takes runner-up honors.
Super Legends (75+)
Oklahoma’s Craig Collins (10-over) wins the 75-and up division. He won by one shot after three consecutive rounds under 80. Bill Engel, ranked No. The Super Legends bracket was a tight race. Only six shots separated the six top finishers.
Next week, the Golfweek Senior Amateur Series will be back on the course, this time at Cartersville Country Club, Cartersville, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.
The coverage of the event will start on Tuesday, October 3
