Prante Wins Northwest Open Invitational
WALLA WALLA, WA – Wine Valley GC – 7,025 Yards, Par 72, Purse $66,500.00; Champion – $7,000.00
PGA Professional Shane Prante of Tom’s Golf Center (Olympia, WA) won the Northwest Open Invitational at Wine Valley GC thanks to a bogey free final round 67 to post 14 under par and win by six shots over PGA Professional Corey Prugh of Manito G&CC (Spokane, WA) and amateur Matt Rawitzer of Belliingham G&CC (Bellingham, WA). Prugh fired 68 and Rawitzer tied the low round of the tournament with his 66. Prante takes home $7,000.00 for his victory.
(if the results do not appear updated, you may need to clear the cache on your browser)The history of the Northwest Open is as significant as the history of golf in the Pacific 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 the Blue 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.