Oregon Open/2021
Swann Makes History at Pelzer Golf Oregon Open
by Zane Fifield, Tournament Intern
As the crowd gathered and watched the final putts being made on the 54th hole by the final group, all who watched knew they were witnessing something spectacular and awe-inspiring. Kennedy Swann, a decorated NCAA collegiate athlete from Tokatee Golf Club with both individual and team accolades, won the 2021 Pelzer Oregon Open Invitational and became the first woman to win a Pacific Northwest Section tournament. Swann led the way for most of the third day and finished at 11-under (205), with PGA Professional and defending champion Brady Sharp and another astounding amateur in Mason Koch tying for second a couple of strokes back at 9-under (207). With the overall win, Swann also took home low amateur honors with Brady Sharp earning low professional honors.
“It was pretty similar to a collegiate event, except for the fact that I was competing against men and I had a caddy. There were definitely some nerves on the last couple holes, but other than that I felt pretty calm all day,” said Swann, who has played in both the Augusta National and U.S. Women's Amateur. “Trey did such an amazing job of keeping me calm, loose, and talking. Anytime I can go out and have fun on the course I know I’m gonna play well.”
Going into the final day, Swann was two strokes behind the leader Isaac Buerger (T-6th), an amateur from Eagle Crest Resort, and one behind highly decorated PGA Professional Jeff Coston (T-4th) of Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club. However, things quickly changed when Swann went three-under in her first four holes, and the players alongside her ran into trouble, leading to Swann’s two-stroke lead after those four holes.
“Honestly, I think I made my playing partners kind of nervous in the first few holes,” Swann replied when asked how she kept her composure throughout the rest of the round and staved off some great attempts to make comebacks by her competitors. “I’m used to playing with guys, but they're not used to playing with girls. I used this to my advantage and just focused on enjoying the round. The only thing I could control was how I played, not how they played.”
“Kennedy is an amazing winner and our first woman to have won a Pacific Northwest PGA Section event in our almost 100-year history,” stated Molly Cooper, PGA, who has been the Director of Tournament and Member Programs since 2004. “Seeing a woman win for the first time made me proud to be part of an organization that embraces women and celebrates their accomplishments. This is a great win for the PGA.”
This was Swann’s first win in the Section and a memorable one for that. In regards to her future plans, she noted, “I have a sponsor's exemption into the LPGA Marathon classic in the beginning of July, so I’ll be playing in that next. After that I will be playing in the USGA Women’s Amateur in New York at the beginning of August, then going to Q-School right after. I am also up for the Curtis Cup so hopefully I might get to go to Wales, then I will turn pro after either Q-School or that event.”
During the first 36 holes of the event, there were two separate team competitions, with a team event and a four-ball event happening concurrently. The winners from the team event consisted of PGA Professionals David Phay and David Castleberry with amateurs Matt Kline and Doug Pierce, who shot a combined score of 34-under par (254) over the 36 holes. The winners from the four-ball event were PGA Professional David Phay and amateur Doug Pierce, who combined their scores for a total of 19-under (125), beating PGA Professional Darren Black and amateur Andrew Von Lossow by one stroke (126) over 36 holes.
As always, we would like to thank all of our sponsors for this event, namely our Title Sponsor Pelzer Golf Supplies as well as Sun Mountain, Sketchers, CMC, Legendary Headwear and Club Car. With their help along with our PGA Professionals, the PNW PGA was able to donate $3,000 to KIDS Center through this wonderful event.
Final results: https://2021secoregonopen.golfgenius.com