Happy Valley man wins his fifth title

Pat O’Donnell of Happy Valley won his fifth Senior Division title at the 2012 Oregon Golf Association Stroke Play Championships, held Aug. 10-12 at Emerald Valley Golf Club.

O’Donnell, 58, shot rounds of 72, 73 and 72, for a one-over-par score of 217 for the three-day tournament, finishing two strokes up on the runners-up, Byron Patton of Tigard and Scott Hval of Portland. Denny Taylor of Gladstone (222: 74-73-75) and Ken Davidson of Clackamas (224: 74-74-76) placed sixth and seventh respectively in the field of 44 golfers.

O’Donnell’s score would have earned him a tie for first place in the 88-golfer open division of the tournament, which was won by Michael Johansen of Vancouver (217: 67-74-76).

Emerald Valley, known for being a difficult but fair layout, lived up to its reputation, with not a single player finishing under par.

O’Donnell won the Senior Division title four consecutive years (2007-2010), before finishing seventh last year.

“I didn’t putt very well,” O’Donnell said of last year’s subpar performance.

O’Donnell added: “It’s always a lot of fun [playing in the Stroke Play Championships] and it’s even more fun when you play well. The guys are kind of gunning for me now. They are saying they should rename the tournament the Pat O’Donnell Open.”

The Oregon Stroke Play Men’s Tournament showcases the best male players in Oregon and Southwest Oregon. The Senior Division includes golfers 50 years and older with a handicap index of 10.0 or less. The Open Division, which includes golfers age 13 and over, requires a handicap index of 5.0 or less.

O’Donnell has had success in other tournaments this summer. He teamed up with Patton to win the Senior Division of the Riverside Invitational Best-Ball Tournament in May, and he and Ken Forester won the Illahe Best-Ball Tournament July 28-29.

In June he finished second in an OGA Senior Open Sectional Qualifier at Pumpkin Ridge-Witch Hollow and met a longtime goal of earning a trip to the U.S. Senior Open. He played with the professionals in the Senior Open at Indianwood Golf and Country Club in Lake Orion, Michigan July 9-15.

“The tournament itself was a lot of fun,” O’Donnell said. “It’s a whole different arena than amateur golf....

“Just being in the arena, inside the ropes, and taking in the amount of people that come to watch, it was an amazing experience....

“I’d like to qualify and do it again. The first time you go, your learning. If I go again I’ll take a different approach. I’ll map out the course a little better and make sure I keep it in the fairway.”