JUNIOR GOLFERS FROM the North Olympic Peninsula are part of the field of the 65th Pacific Northwest Junior Boys Amateur and the 64th Pacific Northwest Junior Girls’ Amateur this week at Port Ludlow Golf Course.
The two tournaments are held concurrently and conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.
Sequim’s Ben Sweet, a rising sophomore who shot his lowest high school round in the Class 2A state golf tournament (79) on his way to a 21st-place finish in May, posted stroke play rounds of 84 on Monday and 78 on Tuesday to open the event. With numerous players still out on the course as of mid-afternoon Tuesday, Sweet was tied for 52nd out of 91 competitors.
Sweet is the son of Stephanie Sweet and Port Ludlow head golf pro Tyler Sweet, formerly of Sunland Golf and Country Club, so he may have had the chance to tag along and get some practice rounds in with Dad before the event.
Jacob Madison, a rising senior at Port Townsend High School, shot rounds of 88 and 90 and was tied for 74th. Madison will be looking for his fourth state tournament trip for the Redhawks next spring.
Port Townsend’s Mackenzie Lake fired a day one score of 100 in the Girls Amateur and was at 43 strokes through her front nine Tuesday.
All boys and girls players who complete the two-round stroke play qualifier will advance to the single-elimination match play portion of the tournament.
The top 32 players in the Boys Amateur will compete in a Championship Flight, while all others will compete in 18-hole matches in eight-player flights based on stroke play qualifying scores.
The top 16 finishers in the Girls Amateur will advance to the Championship Flight, with all others playing in eight-player flights.
Two 36-hole match play finals will decide the Boys and Girls Amateur championships on Friday.
Some quality golfers, including Masters winner and World Golf Hall of Famer Freddy Couples, and current LPGA Tour players Paige Mackenzie and Jimin Kang, earned PNGA Junior Amateur championships in their youth golf careers.
Fore the Kids
Golfers can enjoy a day out on the course while helping to support local youth, teens and families at the Olympic Peninsula YMCA’s 2nd annual Fore the Kids Golf Tournament at The Cedars at Dungeness on Saturday, Sept. 21.
The four-person scramble format event has a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Entry fees are $100 per player and include green fees, cart use, a boxed lunch and heavy appetizers.
On-course contests are planned, along with a shot at a hole-in-one prize.
Players also will receive a polo shirt and swag bag. Drawings for prizes like Seahawks tickets and a one-year YMCA membership also are planned.
Registration is open through Sept. 16.
To get in the game, call the Cedars pro shop at 360-582-4900 or stop by the course.
Proceeds from this tournament will benefit the Olympic Peninsula YMCA’s Member Support Fund to provide financial assistance to individuals, families and children in need.
Hole-in-one
Port Angeles’ Kenneth Ferrante holed out on his first career ace Sunday while playing a round at Peninsula Golf Club in Port Angeles.
Ferrante used a 5-wood and a Callaway ball to record the hole-in-one on the 141-yard fourth hole.
The shot was witnessed by Port Angeles’ Jon Koening.
Cedars ace
Sequim’s John Nally tallied his third-ever hole-in-one while golfing at The Cedars at Dungeness on Monday.
Nally used his 8-iron and a Callaway ball to hole out from 154 yards on the eighth hole.
There were three witnesses to Nally’s single.
Trey Green Guild benefit
The 10th annual Trey Green Guild Golf Tournament, a benefit for Seattle Children’s Hospital, will be held at Cedars at Dungeness on Sept. 13.
Check-in for the four-person scramble format event begins at 11:30 a.m. with a 1 p.m. shotgun start.
Entry fees are $100 per person or $400 per team. Mulligans also can be purchased for $40 per team.
Green fees, cart, range balls, tee prizes and food stations are included in the fee.
On-course contests include a closest to the pin challenge with the winner earning a car, a $10,000 hole-in-one contest (split with Guild), straight drive and long drive challenges and a chance to hit a boat on the 17th hole.
After the round, a golf ball drop from a ladder truck will be conducted by members of Clallam County Fire District 3. Golf balls are $10 apiece and the three closest balls to the pin will win cash.
The fun event sells out every year, so call Cedars at 360-683-6344 soon.
Save the date
Sunland’s Women’s Golf Association also will host the annual Drive for the Cure golf tournament and luncheon, a benefit for the Olympic Medical Center Foundation, on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Proceeds go toward breast screening and diagnostic services for men and women on the Olympic Peninsula.
The tournament, a modified scramble format event, will offer 18-hole and nine-hole events.
The 18-hole tournament will have a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Cost is $65 for non-members, which includes green fees, range balls, a mulligan and a magic putt. Carts are $16 per seat for the 18-hole event.
An 11 a.m. shotgun start is planned for nine-hole players. The cost is $50 for non-members and there is a $10 per seat cart rental fee.
The luncheon follows play at 1:30 p.m.
RSVP by Sept. 7.
For more information, call Cheryl Coulter at 360-681-2796.
Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News Sequim’s Ben Sweet hits a drive on the first tee to start his round at the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s Boys Junior Amateur Championship at Port Ludlow Golf Course on Monday.
