PNW Pro-Assistant Championship/2021
Arrowhead GC Duo Wins PNW PGA Pro-Assistant Championship
By Tanner Montgomery, PGA - Manager of Tournament Operations
The team of General Manager Bryce Fisher and Assistant Professional David Brown of Arrowhead GC won in a four-hole playoff at Willamette Valley CC against the team from The Home Course, led by PGA Head Professional Mitch Runge and PGA Assistant Professional Shane Prante. Fisher previously won this event in 2019 with Assistant Professional John Cassidy.
For their win, Bryce and David earned $2,750. In addition to their first place check, sponsor Sally Schmitz gave both men a brand new Bushnell rangefinder!
The PNW PGA Pro-Assistant Championship is a two-man team competition with one head golf professional and their assistant golf professional playing a four-ball competition.
Asked how it feels to win the Pro-Assistant Championship and bring the trophy back to Arrowhead GC, Fisher commented, “Feeling blessed. The team events are always special to me because of the camaraderie. Sharing this win with David Brown is something we’ve talked about for years. He’s been a huge part of my life, going all the way back to college golf.”
Brown added, “It feels great to win anytime, but to win this championship and share it with Bryce is really special…We’ve talked about how fun it would be to win this event together and I’m proud of the way we battled and hung in there to get it done.”
When asked how their playing complements each other, Brown said, “Bryce and I have been golfing together for many years so we are very familiar with how we play. Bryce keeps himself out of trouble much better than I do, so having him play all day gives me a nice little boost of confidence to just go ahead and let it fly. It works out pretty well every now and then.”
Fisher also discussed how he prepares for a playoff, “Stick to your game plan, and enjoy the moment. Pressure, nerves, excitement all colliding to test you. Very few things in life can give you that high of competing and performing when it counts. I LOVE IT!”
Willamette Valley CC proudly boasts one of the most highly respected championship golf courses in the Pacific Northwest and an interesting history. In 1961, land was purchased and Shirley Stone was hired as designer. On May 1, 1962, Western Turf was awarded the contract to build the first nine holes (now the back nine) for a total cost of $60,000; completion date was to be October 1, 1962. Construction of the course proceeded on time, so an opening date with appropriate celebration was scheduled for October 13 and 14. Unfortunately, Mother Nature intervened on October 12, Columbus Day, with the worst storm in Oregon history, canceling all plans for the opening. October 28 was set as the new date for the opening and all the plans were back on track. In 1963 construction on the second nine holes began, leading to the beautiful 18-hole, 7,200-yard masterpiece and “hidden gem” of the Willamette Valley that you see today.
Thank you to Sally Schmitz of Bushnell, Bryan Dickson of Sterling Cut Glass, for their Presenting Sponsorship. Thanks also to Matt Pollitt, Lauren Berard of PTE Golf and Darrell Livingston of GT Golf Supplies for their Supporting Sponsorship. A special thank you to host Head PGA Professional John Grothe and his staff for hosting this amazing event!
Final results: https://2021secproassistant.golfgenius.com