The 67th edition of the Hudson Cup will be held October 22-23 at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Wash. 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 24th 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.
67th Hudson Cup – Amateur Team
Kent Hagen
Accomplishments:
- 2015 U.S. Open Local Qualifier, 2nd Place
- 2015 Washington State Men’s Amateur Championship, 4th Place
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship, Round of 64
- 2015 Washington Open, 7th Place
- 2015 Northwest Open, 8th Place
Erik Hanson
Accomplishments:
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Master-40 Championship, Champion
- 2015 Seattle City Amateur, Champion
- 2015 Washington State Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, 2nd Place
- 2015 Washington Open, T9
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, T10
- 2015 Washington State Men’s Amateur Championship, T16
- U.S. Senior Open, Qualifier
Reid Hatley
Accomplishments:
- 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifier, Medalist
- U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, Rd of 32
- 2015 Washington State Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, 3rd Place
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, T3
- 2015 Washington State Champion of Champions, 3rd Place
- 2015 Washington State Men’s Amateur Championship, T5
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship, Round of 16
Jake Koppenberg
Accomplishments:
- 2015 U.S. Amateur Qualifier, Medalist
- 2015 Washington State Champion of Champions, 4th Place
- 2015 Oregon Open, T9
Sean Packer
Accomplishments:
- 2015 Fort Lewis Amateur, T2
- 2015 Tacoma City Amateur, 2nd Place
- 2015 Bellevue City Amateur, 2nd Place
- 2015 Washington State Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, 5th
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, T6
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship, Round of 16
24th Senior Hudson Cup – Senior Amateur Team
Tom Brandes
Accomplishments:
- U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, Runner-up
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame Inductee
- 2014 Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s Player of the Year
- 2014 Washington State Senior Men’s Player of the Year
- 2015 Washington State Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, Champion
- U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier, Medalist
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Master-40 Championship, Medalist & Semifinalist
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, 3rd
- 2015 WSGA Senior Champion of Champions, T3
- 2015 Senior Washington Open, T4
John Bracken
Accomplishments:
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, Champion
- 2015 Washington State Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, T6
Paul Houvener
Accomplishments:
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, 2nd Place
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, T18
- 2015 U.S. Senior Challenge, 9th
Craig Larson
Accomplishments:
- 2015 Senior Washington Open, T9
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, T12
Keith Crimp
Accomplishments:
- 2015 Washington State Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, T2
- 2015 Pacific Northwest Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, T14
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.
Last year’s Hudson Cup saw the professional and amateur teams finish tied with 10 points each. The senior amateurs got a taste of victory after defeating the professional team with a two-day point total of 12.5 to 7.5. This was the first time since 2003 that the senior amateurs have won.
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.
For more information on the history of the Hudson Cup, including past results, click here.