It was one of the most competitive finals ever contested with both Men’s and Women’s finals going the distance to the 36th hole at Bandon Dunes.  In the end, Amy Beth Simanton, 17, Lake Oswego, Ore. became one of the youngest ever Women’s Amateur Champions and Andrew Vijarro of Bend, Ore. became one of the just a handful of men to simultaneously hold the Oregon Men’s Stroke Play and Oregon Amateur titles.

Both Men’s and Women’s Divisions played morning quarterfinal matches with the winners getting a brief respite before heading out in the afternoon’s semi-final matches.

Typical Bandon Dunes weather returned as both Men’s and Women’s fields were pared down to just eight players setting up the quarter and semi-final matches on Friday at the 100th Oregon Amateur.

With nearly non-existent winds, players no longer had to contend with the elements, only  their match at hand in the first round of single elimination match play at the 100th Oregon Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

Daniel Snoey of Camas, Wash. fired a final round 3-under par, 69 to win the Peter Jacobsen Junior Challenge

Match play fields consisting of 32 Women and 64 Men are determined as the stroke play qualifying portion of the 100th Oregon Amateur concludes.

The competition began under benign conditions and the scores showed it, but typical gusting winds wreaked havoc on the players scheduled for the afternoon.

Afternoon high winds wreaked havoc on the field as players struggled to match their first round scores.

Professional Brian Nosler of Vanco Driving Range (Vancouver, Wash.) fired a final round 66 enroute to a tournament record 18-under par total.

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An in depth review from the referee of the men’s finals during the 100th Oregon Amateur.

In the quarterfinals a player’s ball came to rest overhanging the hole.  How does Rule 16-2 apply?

Recalling an opponent’s stroke and changing the competition course in the middle of the round both occured in Thursday play at the Oregon Amateur.

In match play, when a dispute arises between you and your opponent the Rules allow you to file a claim.

The Rules for Match Play and Stroke Play are so substantially different that the Committee is prohibited from combining the two formats.  What follows is a brief explanation as to the most striking contrasts in the Rules.

Recently, at a U.S. Open Local Qualifier that we conducted on behalf of the USGA, we had the unfortunate need to assess a penalty for slow play to a pairing group.  Even without the penalty, no one in the group would have qualified, but that did not diminish or affect our decision-making process.

The OGA announced the official championship and U.S. qualifier schedule for the 2009 golf season. In this, the sesquicentennial year for the State of Oregon, this year also marks a number of milestones for the association that serves as the governing body for the sport in the region.  Registration for Adult Championships opens February 13, 2009.  Click Here to see the schedule.

An in depth review from the referee of the men's finals during the 100th Oregon Amateur.

From wrong balls to wrong teeing grounds a summary of some of the more interesting Rulings from Day 1's play.

James Allenby, a rookie on the Canadian Tour from Langley, British Columbia bested 36 other professional golfers and 53 amateurs at U.S. Open Local Qualifying.

Daniel Snoey of Camas, Wash. fired a final round 3-under par, 69 to win the Peter Jacobsen Junior Challenge

Afternoon high winds wreaked havoc on the field as players struggled to match their first round scores.

The 2009 Pacific Northwest Junior PGA Championship will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31st at Tumwater Valley GC in Tumwater, WA.

Oregonians throughout the state will celebrate Oregon’s 150th birthday by volunteering in May as part of Take Care of Oregon Days, sponsored by Portland General Electric and the PGE Foundation.  Read about our own OGA Volunteer Steve Hagen on their 150 Days of Service website.  Click Here to read the article.

Now that many of our golfing friends have returnedg from their winter homes in sunbelt areas such as Southern California or Arizona, handicap committees are double checking to see whether their members have been living up to their responsibility in posting all their scores.

Welcome to Preferred Lies, the new OGA Handicapping Blog.  Why would we use the term "Preferred Lies" when it is actually contrary to anything we support?

The Oregon Golf Association (OGA) was awarded the 2008 GHIN® (Golf Handicap Information Network) Service Award at the conclusion of the recently held GHIN Users Meeting. The annual award is presented to a golf association based on club survey and feedback, along with input from the GHIN staff.

Often, the sandbagger is someone who has not taken the time to understand the Rules of Golf or the Rules of Handicapping as well as join the Oregon Golf Association in order to obtain an authorized and correctly calculated handicap index.  Of course, we all know those knowingly greedy golfers who demands more strokes than they deserve, taking the fun out of the game for the rest of us.

We recently visited Crestview Golf Club in Waldport, Ore. a 9-hole course that was totally redesigned by Dan Hixson.

Every golfer should ideally play from the set of tees that best suits their ability.  There should be no reason for a senior or beginning man to be uncomfortable playing from forward tees, just as a long-ball scratch-level female hitter such as Michelle Wie might want to play from the tips.   All you need to know is how to post your score!

Designed by Northwest native Dan Hixson, Wine Valley GC is co-owned by longtime Northwest PGA Professional John Thorsnes and Jim Pliska (who also owns Emerald Valley GC in Creswell, Ore.). The full 18-hole championship layout is scheduled to open to the public by May 1st.

Every year the USGA puts on a Calibration Seminar for all State & Regional Golf Associations that are responsible for administering the USGA Course Rating System™ in their respective territories.  It is a requirement of our license with the USGA that we attend at least one Calibration Seminar during the quadrennial period of our license.

The new OGA Course Rating Blog has been named “The Transition Zone” for several reasons.  First, this department is undergoing numerous changes; hence, we are in a transitional stage. Second, Transition Zone is one of the more interesting but difficult concepts to grasp in the USGA Course Rating System™ manual.