Washington Open/2011

Feenstra Sets New Tournament Record at Washington Open Invitational

By: Max Riggs

Tournament Intern

PGA Professional Tim Feestra of the Broadmoor Golf Club has instilled a mindset that for every tournament he enters he will look to win, and impressively at the Washington Open, Tim did just that!

When I say impressively, I mean it. Feenstra set a new Washington Open record by finishing with a tournament total of 200 after three rounds of play. In 2007, Tim also won the Washington Open Invitational, his first PNW PGA major. Feenstra was quoted after his 2011 win “this victory means a lot to me because it has been four years since my last win and I really wanted to play well, and setting the tournament record was just the icing on the cake!”

This win for Feenstra was hard earned. The field for the Washington Open at Glendale CC had incredible competition. Concluding Monday’s round, Feenstra was tied for the lead with PGA Tour Member Andres Gonzales at 67. The two were followed closely by local PGA Professional Derek Berg of Glendale CC at 68.

With seven players within three shots of the lead, Feenstra knew he needed to take full advantage of moving day and did so by firing a stifling 63. That round gave Tim a two day total of 130 and a six shot lead over the competition. However, notable Michael Putnam (PGA Tour Member) also made a move on the field shooting 65 tying himself with Derek Berg at 136.

Several thoughts and nerves come into play for final rounds in a major, but for Feenstra his thought process stayed the same, “My approach didn’t change for the final round, I knew both of my nearest competitors (Berg and Putnam) could go make a lot of birdies and go low…I just needed to get off to a solid start, make solid golf shots, and be aggressive when I had the green light.” Feenstra accomplished that goal by shooting a final round one under 70 to give himself a seven shot win over PGA Tour Member Michael Putnam and the new tournament record.

To note, Feenstra and his partner Greg Stark also won the Four-Ball Team Competition with a total of 189 aided by a second round 59. Professional Tom Staskus of Capital City GC and his partner Brian Patton combined for a final round 62 giving them a total of 194 for second place.

I would like to give special thanks to the title sponsor Bob Abramowitz, Head Professional Kenney Boyd, Superintendent Steve Kealy, and all of the Glendale CC staff and volunteers for a successful event. This event raised over $500,000 for Camp Korey. Camp Korey serves children and their families from throughout the Northwest with serious and life-threatening illnesses at no cost. The camp offers year-round recreation with full support for the medical needs of campers, plus all the fun of just being a kid. To learn more about the charity or to make a donation, please go to www.campkorey.org This year’s event raised $500,000.