The 69th edition of the Hudson Cup will be held October 19-20 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore. The illustrious event, played in a format similar to the Ryder Cup, will see 10 of the best amateur players from Washington and Oregon compete against the top 10 Pacific Northwest Section PGA professionals, while the 26th Senior Hudson Cup will match up the top 10 Pacific Northwest Section PGA senior members against the top 10 senior amateurs from Washington and Oregon.
Last year, for the first time since 2011 and only the second time since 1978, the Amateurs won the Hudson Cup over the PGA Professionals; while the senior PGA Professionals prevailed against the senior Amateurs in the Senior Hudson Cup. The Amateurs defeated the PGA professionals 12.5 points to 7.5 points. The senior PGA professionals defeated the Senior Amateurs by a score of 14.5 to 5.5.
The Oregon Golf Association (OGA) and Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) work together to select a total of 10 amateurs and 10 senior amateurs to compete against the professionals. Of the 10 players in each category, five will represent the OGA and five will represent the WSGA. Amateur team members are selected based on season-long performance points earned through each respective Association.
The Pacific Northwest Section PGA also selects their professional team members based on performance points earned throughout the season.
Each player will compete in three matches, including a foursome match, a 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 opposite team. The awards honor Chuck Congdon, Larry Lamberger, Bob McKendrick and Bill Eggers, four great players with outstanding Hudson Cup records and a strong tie to the event’s rich history.
Professional team captains are appointed by the president of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA, and amateur team captains are appointed by the OGA and WSGA.
This year, the Amateurs in the Hudson Cup will be captained by Mike Kloenne and the PGA Professionals will be captained by Bryan Tunstill, PGA Director of Golf at Columbia Edgewater. In the Senior Hudson Cup, the senior Amateurs will be captained by PNGA Hall of Famer Don Krieger, while the captain for the senior PGA Professionals has yet to be determined.
In 1949, two PGA Professionals from Oregon, Larry Lamberger and Al Zimmerman, thought the Pacific Northwest Section PGA should pay tribute to Robert A. Hudson, Sr., a successful businessman from Portland. Hudson is renowned in the golf world as the savior of the Ryder Cup matches after resurrecting it just two years removed from World War II. Because of Hudson's generosity, the Ryder Cup was restored in 1947 at Portland Golf Club after Hudson came forward and covered most of the expenses of conducting the competition, including the cost of transporting the British team to the United States.
The first Hudson Cup matches were held at Portland Golf Club in 1949. The format was patterned after the Ryder Cup, with 36-hole foursome matches the first day and 36-hole singles the second day. The professionals, led by Bud Ward, Stan Leonard and Chuck Congdon, posted a 12.5 to 2.5 victory. When Hudson learned of the matches, he immediately insisted on footing the bill, and continued to do so through 1972. Today, the Pacific Northwest Section PGA is assisted by funds contributed by the Washington State Golf Association, the Oregon Golf Association and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.
The format was changed in 1966 when the foursome matches were shortened to 18-holes and four-ball competition was added for the first afternoon. Second-day singles, at 18 holes, complete the event, with a total of 20 points available. In 1992, the Senior Hudson Cup matches were added.
Click here for more information on the history of the Hudson Cup, including past results.
