WALLA WALLA, WA – Wine Valley GC – 7,025 Yards, Par 72, Purse $68,500.00
Brandon Kearney, Assistant Professional at Bend G&CC (Bend, OR) led wire to wire to win the Northwest Open Invitational at Wine Valley Golf Club. PGA Professionals Darren Black of Rainier G&CC (Seattle) and Derek Barron of Tacoma Firs (Tacoma, WA) tied for second three shots back. The contest was close coming down the stretch but Kearney birdied the final two holes to cap off the victory. Kearney earns $7,000 for his first Pacific Northwest Section Major victory.
Kearney’s key to victory – a 9 under par 63 in the opening round that included 2 eagles on the front nine, 3 two’s, and even a bogey!
The history of the Northwest Open is as significant as the history of golf in thePacific Northwest. The list of past champions reads like a who’s who in Pacific Northwest Golf. In fact, fifteen members of the Pacific Northwest Section’s Hall of Fame are Northwest Open Champions.
The early years were dominated by Seattle Golf Club’s Robert Johnstone (who won 8 of the first 10 events) and “Long Jim” Barnes. Barnes, the professional at Tacoma C&GC from 1911 – 1915, won the first two PGA Championships (1916, 1919) in addition to the 1921 U.S. Open and the 1925 British Open! Spokane’s Marvin “Bud” Ward captured six championships over a 22 year span, five as an amateur and his last as a professional. Bud was also a National Amateur champion and may have won a few more but for the lack of championships during WWII.
Wine Valley Golf Club, which opened in April of 2009, has been rated 5th on Golfweek’s Best New Courses. To produce Golfweek’s Best New Courses list, a nationwide team of more than 475 evaluators rated the layouts on the basis of 10 criteria, including routing, conditioning, variety and memorability of holes. The result is an average of scores, which then dictates a course’s overall ranking.
This stunning Dan Hixson design unfolds on a grand scale, playing over rolling hills in the shadow of theBlue Mountains. Wine Valley GC had broad fairways, dramatic bunkers, and bold, undulating putting surfaces.
To view past champions of the Northwest Open Invitational, CLICK HERE.