The 70th edition of the Hudson Cup Matches concluded at Overlake G& CC in Medina, WA. The matches ended tied with a two-day point total of 10 to 10 points. In the 27th edition of the Senior Hudson Cup, the matches also finished in a tie with a two-day point total of 10 to 10.
The Charles Congdon Award went to Nick Mandell (voted on by the professional team) and the Larry Lamberger Award was presented to Darren Black (voted on by the amateur team). In the Senior Matches, The Bill Eggers Award was presented to Erik Hanson (voted on by the senior professional team) while Bruce Stewart was bestowed the Bob McKendrick Award (voted on by the senior amateur team).
CLICK HERE to view 70th Hudson Cup Match Results.
CLICK HERE to view 27th Senior Hudson Cup Match Results.
It was a fantastic week at Overlake G&CC. Mark Sursely and Adam Rogers were incredible hosts. Special thanks to sponsor Kirk Fallgatter of Levelwear.
History of the Championship
Robert A. Hudson was a very successful Portland businessman whose firm, Hudson House, was one of the nation’s leading wholesale grocers. Hudson played golf at Portland Golf Club and was devoted to the game. During World War II, the PGA of America was trying to keep its Tour alive and was in dire need of sponsors. Hudson stepped up to the plate with the urging of Larry Lamberger, Portland Golf Club head professional, and offered to underwrite a 72-hole open tournament with a purse of $10,000. Thus the 1944 Portland Open was born, and Sam Snead won it. Hudson stayed with the program and went on to sponsor the 1945 Portland Open (in which Ben Hogan set the 72-par 72-hole scoring record of 27-under-par 261) and the 1946 PGA Championship, won by Hogan. Hudson went on to sponsor Portland Opens in 1948 and 1949 and the Western Open in 1955, all at Portland Golf Club, and he became the first chairman of the PGA Advisory Committee.
Each player will play three matches, a Foursome match, Four-Ball Match, and a Singles Match. At the completion of the matches, awards are presented to the outstanding player on each team as decided by votes of the team members. They honor Chuck Congdon, Larry Lamberger, Bob McKendrick and Bill Eggers, four great players with outstanding Hudson Cup records.
The Professionals have won 56 of the 69 matches against the amateurs, losing only 8 and tying 5 matches. The Professionals last lost in 2016 at Fircrest GC.
While the Professionals have been dominating the Hudson Cup Matches, the Senior Professionals have also been winning the Senior Hudson Cup Matches. The Senior Professionals have won 18 of 26 Matches in the 26 year history.
Overlake G&CC
Originally founded in 1927, and re-founded in 1953, Overlake Golf & Country Club is a private golf club home to a challenging 18-hole course designed by one of the Northwest’s preeminent early-day golf architects, A. V. Macan. The original Frank James-designed Overlake Golf Club opened in 1927. James and his partner, William Henry Tucker, designed such early layouts as Olympia Country & Golf Club, Sand Point Country Club, and Jackson Park Golf Course. After the Great Depression and the closure of the original course, the Club’s founders hired A. Vernon Macan of Victoria to design a new layout in 1953. Overlake’s course has been fine-tuned and improved over the years. The club has hosted many tournaments over its five decades, including two Ernst Championships hosted by Fred Couples in 1994 and 1995.