Featured Golf News
Edwards-Powell & O'Donnell Crowned Best Senior Amateurs in Oregon
Joan Edwards-Powell of Portland and Patrick O'Donnell of Clackamas, Ore., won their respective finals matches in the Oregon Senior Amateur. Both events were held at Creekside Golf Club in Salem.
Powell earned her fifth title by taking early command of her match against medalist and defending champion, Loree McKay of Portland. "It was a really good match," said Edwards-Powell. "There were lots of birdies."
Edwards-Powell carded her second birdie of the day when she drained a 70-foot putt on the par-4 fifth hole to go 3-up in the match. Then, despite hitting a tree on the seventh, she sank a 35-foot putt to save par and put the pressure on McKay, who subsequently missed an 8-foot birdie putt to only halve the hole.
McKay then missed another birdie opportunity. "I wasn't playing bad, it was just that my putts weren't falling," noted McKay. "But I fought my way back." A par on the ninth followed by consecutive birdies brought the match to all square - albeit briefly as Edwards-Powell birdied the next hole to go up for good. A 70-foot chip-in on the par-3 14th hole sealed the match, although McKay didn't give up, managing to make it all the way to the 18th.
Edwards-Powell adds another victory to a Hall of Fame career that boasts many honors, awards and titles, including the distinction of being the oldest Oregon Women's Amateur champion, a title she earned in 1995.
In the men's senior finale, O'Donnell fended off Byron Patton of Tigard. "The medalists didn't do well today," said Patton, who lost to reigning Oregon Senior Men's Stroke Play champion O'Donnell.
It wasn't as though Patton didn't have his moments. Despite a bogey on the first hole and a double-bogey on the third, he steadied himself and was only down one at the end of the opening nine. Patton continued his fine play, shooting one-under par over the next five holes and was 1-up with four holes to go. A bogey on the next hole brought the match all square and it stayed that way until the final hole.
"I pushed my drive on the final hole," said O'Donnell. "I think watching my ball trickle into the hazard changed his mind set and swing thoughts." Indeed, Patton hooked his ball into the opposite hazard along with his subsequent shot to lose the match. "I played really well until that final hole," said Patton with a chuckle.
The Oregon Senior Amateur championship 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.
