PNW Senior Players/2018

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By Molly Cooper, PGA Director of Tournament and Member Programs

Coston Wins PNW Senior Players’ Championship

Walla Walla, WA – Wine Valley Golf Club, 6,525 Yards, Par 72 Field – 52 teams of one Pacific Northwest PGA Professionals and one amateur.

PGA Professional Jeff Coston (Semiahmoo G&CC) won the PNW Senior Players’ Championship by one stroke over PGA Professional Mike Gove (Inglewood GC). The first senior section major of the year, held at Wine Valley GC, is a two-man team competition of one Pacific Northwest PGA Professional and one amateur playing a both an individual and a four-ball competition.

Winning the team Four-Ball competition was the team led by PGA Professional Steve Stull (Richland, WA) and amateur Brad Karns (Royal Oaks CC). Their Four-Ball scores of 70-65-135, 9-under par, earned them victory by three strokes. Their fantastic score included a hole-in-one, shot by Stull during round one on the 11th hole.

Three teams finished in a tie for second place in the team competition. They were: the team led by PGA Professional Joe Carranza (Aldarra GC) and amateur Tom Hale (Tacoma C&GC), the team of PGA Professional Brent Murray (Oswego Lake CC) and amateur Spencer Klapp (Tualatin CC), and the team of PGA Professional Jim Pike (Sahalee CC) and amateur George White (Royal Oaks CC).

The weather conditions during round one of the tournament were very difficult, with wind gusts around 40 mph. Coston battled them with his “experience, commitment and templates,” stating that, “controlling the flight of the ball is huge.”

“As we’ve seen in the Northwest Open, bombers do well there. I’d better stay in the weight room and add some heavier lifts!” he added.

In the off-season just prior to the 2017 season, Coston injured himself playing basketball with one of his sons and had a long rehabilitation from his surgery. When asked about the long journey to recovery and how that impacted his game, he commented, “after my injury I have definitely had to re-invent myself. As difficult as coming back has been, it has made me thankful for every tournament opportunity. The injury and age has made me hungrier in a different way also. I have more to achieve.”

There is one more major victory to be achieved at Wine Valley GC this year. This challenging and beautiful golf course will once again be the site of Northwest Open Invitational this August 20-22. Entry forms will be available from the PNW Section in June.

The Senior Players’ Championship welcomed back PGA Professional Ken Allen and Club Glove as a sponsor. Thanks for sponsoring the event for another year!

Thanks to PGA Professional Chris Isaacson and owner Jim Pliska for hosting us for another great event! Wine Valley Golf Club has been rated "One of The Top Three Golf Courses to Play in Washington" by Golfweek. It has been awarded many other honors since opening in 2009. This stunning Dan Hixson design unfolds on a grand scale, playing over rolling hills in the shadow of the Blue Mountains.