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Medalists Go Wire-to-Wire At Senior Amateur
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WARRENTON, ORE. (Friday, September 30, 2011) – In the finals of the Oregon Senior Amateur at Astoria Golf & Country Club, both medalists captured the titles of their respective divisions. Scott Hval of Portland, Ore. won his match 3 & 2 over Gregg Guernsey of Vancouver, Wash. and and Loree McKay of Hillsboro, Ore. captured her second Senior Amateur title with a hard fought battle taking the title in 22 Holes over 6-time champion Joan Edwards-Powell of Portland, Ore. 
Like his semifinal match, the first few holes were up and down with Guernsey taking first blood winning the second hole. He lost that advantage when Hval stuck back with his first birdie. He then had three more birdies in his next four holes to go 2up. Guernsey was playing well, too. In fact, he was 1-under par for the holes he played. It just wasn't good enough to top Hval's juggernaught.
Hval, 50, began the year with one goal in mind -- to win the Oregon Senior Amateur -- and he did just that showing a mastery of the small, fast, undulating greens at Astoria. He was 2-under par for the holes played in the quarterfinals, 4-under par in the semifinals and 5-under par today.
"I've been struggling with my game since winning the mid-amateur," noted Hval. "I got the yips, and you just can't win if you can't putt." What turned his game around was changing to the long putter. "I dropped out of competitive golf because I just couldn't compete. I lost interest in golf, but when I changed to the long putter I was able to score again and my desire to compete returned."
"When the schedule is published, I look at the list to see what events I should focus on," added Hval who turned 50 in May. "I saw the Senior Amateur was going to be played at Astoria and I've played "the coast" several times and knew the course fit my game. I wanted to make some history."
He did just that. With his win, Hval becomes the first person to have won the Oregon Amateur (1997), Oregon Mid-Amateur (2007) and Senior Amateur titles.
It also could have been a historic day in the women's division as well as Edwards-Powell was seeking her 7th Senior Amateur title. But one of her main rivals in recent years, McKay, was standing in her way.
The match was much like the fable of the Tourtoise and the Hare. McKay, quickly took command of the match, going 1up on the third hole, and at no time was down to Edwards-Powell. She got it to 2up on the 5th hole and had several opportunities to end the match. "If I could just putt," said McKay, "we never would have gone extra holes."
Along the way, Edwards-Powell just kept plodding along. On most holes, McKay would out drive her so she would have the first approach to the green. While McKay was on the green in regulation, Edwards-Powell was chipping and getting it close enough to match McKay stroke for stroke. 
"You need to close out a match when you play Joan," added McKay. "If you give her the opportunity to get back in that match, she'll take it. She wears you out, just playing her game."
Indeed, Edwards-Powell took advantage of every opportunity that presented itself. Birdies on 12 and 17 brought the match back to all-square.
On the 22nd hole, a 152-yard downhill par 3, Edwards-Powell hit her tee shot short of the top tier where the hole was located, and her ball slowly rolled off the green. McKay's tee shot just made the top tier leaving a 30-foot uphill putt.
Edwards-Powell sent her second shot 3-feet past the hole leaving a difficult downhill putt, while McKay's putt ended short of the hole but leaving a short uphill putt for the win -- a putt she'd never have to attempt. Edwards-Powell saw her par putt slide past the hole and drift beyond McKay's forcing her to putt again. On her bogey attempt, her ball lipped through the cup and with that she conceded the match.
The Oregon Senior Amateur is for amateur golfers 50 years of age and older with a USGA Handicap Index limit of 10.0 or less for Men and 22.4 or less for Women. The event began in 1984 when contests for Senior Women were separated from the Oregon Amateur due to the popularity of the event. Three years later the inaugural Men's Senior Amateur was created.
