Federal Way, Wash. – The 64th Hudson Cup and the 21st Senior Hudson Cup Matches concluded Friday at Inglewood Golf Club in Kenmore, Wash. and the professionals sealed victory with impressive team performances in the singles matches.
The Hudson Cup is an annual Ryder Cup-style team match play competition between the top PGA Professionals of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA and the top amateurs selected by the Oregon Golf Association and the Washington State Golf Association.
In the Hudson Cup, the professional squad entered Friday’s singles matches with a 5 to 4 lead over the amateur team after completion of foursome and four-ball play on Thursday. The professionals quickly pulled away thanks to victories in the first four matches and cruised to a 13 ½ to 6 ½ triumph. Tim Feenstra was awarded the 38th Larry Lamberger Award as the top professional after capping off a fine week with a 4 and 2 victory over amateur Jake Wagner. Dylan Maine received the Chuck Congdon Award as the top amateur after winning all three of his matches, including a 1 up victory over Chris Griffin on Friday.
In the Senior Hudson Cup, the professionals earned a narrow victory against the amateurs with a two-day point total of 11 to 9. The professionals and amateurs entered Friday’s singles matches tied at five points apiece, but the amateurs fell behind early in several of the matches and were unable to recover. Mark Keating earned the Bob McKendrick Award as the top professional in the matches after posting a 3-0 record on the week, including a 3 and 2 victory over amateur Kent Brown on Friday. The Bill Eggers Award for the top amateur competitor went to Mike Kloenne, who notched one of the four amateur points on Friday with a 1 up victory over Bruce Stewart.
In 1949, two PGA Professionals from Oregon, Lamberger and Al Zimmerman, thought the Pacific Northwest Section PGA should pay tribute to Robert A. Hudson, Sr. Hudson, a successful businessman from Portland, is renowned in the golf world as the savior of the Ryder Cup Matches by resurrecting it 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 Ryder Cup tab, including the cost of the British team to come 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 ½ to 2 ½ 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, Oregon Golf Association and 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. It features the leading senior amateur players against the senior PGA Professionals.
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.
For more information about the Hudson Cup and Senior Hudson Cup, go to http://www.pnwpga.com/hudson_cup.htm .