Central Oregon still a haven for tourney golf
Published: May 09. 2009 4:00AM PST
After two years of loaded tournament schedules, Central Oregon will take a bit of a breather in 2009.
In addition to the 2009 Jeld-Wen Tradition, only two events of regional significance are scheduled to be played on the High Desert this year: the Pacific Northwest PGA’s Oregon Open, and the Oregon Golf Association’s 21st Oregon Mid-Amateur Championship. But an old favorite, the Mirror Pond Invitational, returns in June to Bend Golf and Country Club for the tournament’s 58th edition after a one-year hiatus.
While the tournaments will not likely be heavily attended by spectators (though golf fans are welcome at all three events), they are important for the golf courses that host them.
Powell Butte’s Club at Brasada Ranch, which will host its first ever high-profile regional tournament when the Oregon Open comes to town June 16-18, and Bend’s Tetherow Golf Club, which will host the OGA Mid-Am July 11-12, are hoping the tournaments will add to the visibility of the courses.
“We figured with the Oregon Open we would draw from a different base of players than the usual local pro-am circuit,” says Zach Swoffer, the head golf professional at Brasada, which opened in 2006. “Here at Brasada, golf is obviously the biggest draw. But with a state-of-the-art fitness center, equestrian center and real estate options available, it’s nice to get a new set of players out to view it.”
Arguably the busiest tournament year in Central Oregon golf history was 2007, a year bolstered by a trio of national events.
Not only did the Jeld-Wen Tradition make its first-ever appearance at Sunriver Resort’s Crosswater Club that year, but Sunriver also hosted the PGA Professional National Championships and the United States Golf Association Senior Women’s Amateur.
Last year, Central Oregon golf courses hosted four regional tournaments, including the PNGA Cup at Pronghorn Club’s Nicklaus Course, the Oregon Amateur at Bend Golf and Country Club, and the Oregon Open at Aspen Lakes Golf Course in Sisters.
But Tetherow, which opened in July 2008, is the lone Central Oregon golf course that will play host to a regional tournament in both 2008 and 2009.
After terrorizing some of the best club professionals in the Pacific Northwest at the windblown PNPGA Professional Championship last August, Tetherow this July will welcome some of the best amateur golfers ages 25 or older from around the state.
The two-day, 36-hole stroke-play Mid-Am will allow Tetherow to raise its profile as a tournament golf course, says Martin Chuck, Tetherow’s director of golf.
“Our goal is to put Tetherow Golf Club on the map: locally, regionally and nationally,” Chuck says. “We feel that we have a wonderful layout that lends itself to tournament competition. Tetherow will test every club in your bag, but most importantly, it wants you to think and make the right choice navigating the layout.”
The Mirror Pond Invitational, which is set for June 20-21, is the oldest golf tournament in Central Oregon and attracts some of the top male amateurs from Oregon and beyond for 36 holes of stroke play.
The tournament, which is open to any golfer with an official handicap, took 2008 off so its home course, Bend G&CC, could host the Oregon Amateur. But Erik Nielsen, Bend G&CC’s head professional, is happy to see the Mirror Pond tourney back on the schedule.
“It’s a big event,” Nielsen says. “It certainly gives us a chance to show off the golf course. Both our Ladies Invitational and the Mirror Pond, we have been getting phone calls for months about it. We are looking forward to it.”
Bend G&CC will also host the Bend Ladies Invitational for the 44th time. The 36-hole stroke-play tournament, set for June 2-3, will feature some of the best female amateurs from around the state.
Last year, Nettie Morrison edged fellow Bend G&CC member Sue Keeney by one stroke for the Ladies Invitational title.
Also this year, many of the Pacific Northwest’s best young male amateurs will be at Juniper Golf Course in Redmond to play in a sectional qualifier for the 2009 U.S. Amateur. The top two or three golfers from the sectional event will advance to the nation’s most prestigious amateur tournament, to be held Aug. 24-30 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
Of course, there will be other tournaments this summer. For a complete listing, see the 2009 Central Oregon Golf Calendar.
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