Knoll, Maletis win Northwest Senior Amateur crowns

Jim Knoll of Sunnyvale, Calif. shot a final round 6-under par 66 to come from behind to win the 50th Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s Amateur, while Chris Maletis of Portland, Ore. cruised to a three-stroke victory in the 5th Pacific Northwest Super Senior Men’s Amateur Championship.
Both championships were conducted by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, and were held concurrently at Brasada Ranch in Powell Butte, Ore.

Knoll started the day one shot behind Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash. The two were paired together in the final group, and Brandes was attempting the win this championship for the third consecutive year. Both players shot par on the par-5 first hole, but Knoll birdied holes two and three and never looked back. He had seven birdies on the day, with a lone bogey coming on the long downhill par-3 17th hole, and finished two shots clear of Brandes, who shot a bogey-free 3-under par 69. Knoll’s 66 was the low round of the championship.
Maletis has won the Senior Amateur three times (2007, 2009, 2010), and this year competed in the Super Senior Championship, immediately putting himself in the driver’s seat with a 5-under par 67 in the opening round. His subsequent rounds of 70-71 put him three shots ahead of second-place finisher Gay Davis of Portland.