Northwest Open/2007

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Record Setting Performance by Jeff Coston at Northwest Open Invitational

By Brandon Lorain

In one of the most historic of northwest championships, Jeff Coston, from Semiahmoo G&CC, made history. The Northwest Open was held at Running Y Ranch in Klamath Falls, Oregon. This marked the fourth time Running Y has been the host, and a formidable opponent the golf course was. With the venue having elements of links, dunes, woodland, and high desert all mixed into one, there is not just one way to play this golf course. Add to that a final round which saw temperatures drop into the thirties, a stiff wind blowing off the lake, and an occasional rain shower, and you have the makings for an exciting day of golf that felt as if the field was playing in Scotland itself. Head professional Jim Skaugstad will have to order more outerwear for the winter as shop sales were brisk with players purchasing everything from beanie hats to fleece sweatshirts to try and keep warm.

In the end, Jeff Coston put his name on the trophy for the second time, besting the field by six shots. An electrifying 64 during the first round gave Coston a three shot cushion he was able to hold onto for the remaining two days. His final 54 hole score of 200 (64, 68, 68) is a new tournament record, surpassing the 202 shot by PGA Tour veteran Rick Fehr in 1994 at Desert Canyon.

The final group included Chuck Milne of Vanco Driving Range, and Christopher Smith from Pumpkin Ridge. Smith began the day tied at the top of the leaderboard with Coston after a stellar 65 in round two. Steady play and a bogey-free final round proved to be the winning formula as Coston coasted into the clubhouse. A host of players were in the mix throughout the day, including young amateur Chris Polski, from Emerald Valley GC. Firing a three round total of 206, Polski claimed solo second place.

This marked the second Northwest Open Championship for Coston, who also won at Running Y in 2001. This was the final event to capture Hudson Cup points, which were doubled for this tournament. As a result, some shuffling in the final team took place and added another dramatic element to the final scores. Entering the NW Open, Player of the Year honors were led by Ryan Benzel of Seattle GC who did not compete in order to participate in the PGA Cup. With Coston’s victory, he overtook Benzel for the lead, and needs only to receive any point value at the NW Pro-Amateur at Salishan Golf Links to secure Player of the Year honors.

Running Y Ranch proved again that it belongs in the conversation of great northwest golf courses. Superintendent Chad Morris and his crew provided an excellent course in great condition with speedy greens. They take a lot of pride in their course and it shows in the details.

One of the best stories of the tournament belonged to local Klamath Falls professional Jarrod Warner. After finishing his round, Rockey Warner, Jarrod’s father walked out to watch his son and found him preparing to tee off on the seventh hole, a 191 yard par 3. Standing by the green, with the group in front hitting on number 8, Rockey had to show some good restraint as he watched his son’s ball go into the hole for Jarrod’s first ever ace!! From the tee, it wasn’t visible to the players, so it wasn’t until they walked to the green that they realized what had happened. Congratulations Jarrod, and we hope you have a Golf Savings Bank account to take advantage of the prize pool.

Thanks go out to all the terrific sponsors, including Sterling Savings Bank, FILA, Titleist, South Valley Bank and Trust, Northwest Cable News, KLAD 92.5FM, Herald and News, KOBI 5 and KOTI 2, and KlaMoYa Casino who made the 2007 Northwest Open a great event.