Oregon Open/2023
Pelzer Golf Oregon Open: Shane Prante Redeems Himself with Victory
By: Grant Tribolet 2023 Summer Intern
The Pelzer Oregon Open Invitational, held June 13-15, 2023, returned to Eagle Crest Resort for the first time in 17 years. Champion Shane Prante of The Home Course battled the fierce wind of The Ridge Course to secure his first major victory since 2019. A success that can be summarized into one word: Redeeming. At an event he lost in a playoff the year prior, Shane returned and re-wrote the story with a much sweeter ending.
Despite the challenging conditions, there were still low scores being posted. PGA Professional Blake Snyder and amateur Cole Reuck posted a pair of first-round 64s. Prante was not distracted by the competition and posted a few of his own, shooting 67 and 65 in the first two rounds.
“I played conservatively off the tee overall and just tried to hit solid irons and leave myself consistent birdie looks,” Prante said.
Stepping onto the first tee of the final round, Prante held a one-shot lead over Snyder and amateurs Cole Reuck and Dylan Cramer. His game plan was simple: “shoot under par.”
Prante did just that, carding a bogey-free 34 on the back nine to seal the victory with a two-putt par on 18.
“Anytime you get a win, it sharpens confidence and belief in your ability to perform at a high level,” Prante said.
As the season progresses, so do Prante’s goals. With his inaugural victory at the Oregon Open, he earns one more leg in the PGA Pacific Northwest career grand slam.
“I would definitely like to win all of the major section events on our schedule before my career is over, so this helps get me closer to that goal,” he said.
Adding more significance to the championship, the trophy was not only brought home for Shane, but also for his newly aged eight-year-old son Luke.
“The Oregon Open always seems to fall right around my youngest son Luke’s June 13th birthday,” Prante said. “He turned 8 this year. We always make it a special event before or after the tournament, but I still wish that I was home on that day. I told him that if I had to be gone that I was going down to win and make the trip worth it for our family. He thought it was pretty cool that Dad did make it happen.”
In addition to the individual event, there were also four-ball and team events. The Four-Ball event winners were PGA Professional Blake Snyder and amateur Graham Moody with a two-day total of -19. The team event winners were Linden Golf and Country Club PGA Professional Glenn Beatty, Druid Glen Golf Club PGA Professional Luke Olson, amateur Casey Kaelin, and amateur Barry Brunenkant, with a two-day total of -35.
Finally, when asked if Shane wanted to mention anything else about his memorable Thursday night, he said one thing that would stick with him.
“I would like to give a special shoutout to Ren Weaver of Legendary Headwear for giving me a ride to the airport when there weren’t any Uber rides to make my flight,” Prante said. “It reminded me of all the different avenues in the golf industry and how many good people we get to work with, compete against and do business with and how we all love this great game.”
The Pacific Northwest Section PGA would like to thank Eagle Crest Resort for their hospitality and support of this year’s Pelzer Oregon Open Invitational. We want to thank PGA Director of Golf Ron Buerger, PGA Head Professional Kevin Story, and all their staff for a fantastic week. We are proud to have the support of our title sponsor, Pelzer Golf Supplies. We would also like to thank our supporting sponsors: Legendary Headwear, PGA Tour, Club Car Skins, and Garmany Majors Shootout.
Final results: https://2023secoregonopen.golfgenius.com/