Christina Proteau wasted little time in making a statement on Day 1 of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Cup on a soggy Gorge Vale Golf Club on Thursday morning.
The three-time sa国际传媒 Women's Amateur champion drained her approach shot from 111 yards with her pitching wedge on the first hole of play.
The eagle two on the 314-yard par-4 led to a redhot start on a wet day for the Port Alberni golfer, who teamed up with Alison Quinlan of Victoria for a 4 and 2 victory in their match-play event over Jillian Carlille and Brie Stone of Oregon in the four-ball format.
Proteau was 4-under on her front nine and Quinlan was solid on the back as they secured a point for sa国际传媒
Oregon pulled away in the Ryder Cup-like tournament - that features play in men's and women's midamateur, Masters 40 and seniors' play - in the afternoon and lead with 8 1 /2 points, followed by sa国际传媒 with six, Idaho with five and Washington at 4 1 /2.
"We couldn't see the ball go in, but I hit a wedge right at the hole and it ended up being right in the cup, which was a fun start for me and my teammate, Ali," said Proteau. "Delayed reaction and delayed excitement, but it was a cool way to start."
Unless, of course, you were from Oregon.
"I think it was a little demoralizing, yeah, but it was a tough match," said Proteau. "We played really well the whole way in. Ali made a great birdie on 12, a super tough, uphill par-4 from about 30 feet and that got us 2-up and we carried on from there. It was a clutch putt by her."
Proteau sizzled on the front nine with four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys.
"Ali carried me most of the way on the back. We balanced each other out so it was good," she said.
In the afternoon, the two defeated Shawn Farmer and Leslie Folsom of Washington State 2 and 1 in alternate shot play in the team event that also included two-time defending champion Oregon and Idaho.
The PNGA Cup concludes this morning with 24 singles matches beginning at 8 a.m. at Gorge Vale.
Victoria's Bryan Scott and Kevin Carrigan, both of Royal Colwood, also aided sa国际传媒 with a solid 4 and 3 victory over Stephen Hartnett and Eric Peterson of Idaho in the morning. In the afternoon the two locals struggled in a 5 and 3 loss to Eric Fiskum and Scott Hval of Oregon.
"We didn't make the putts we need to make this afternoon," said Scott. "It was a great morning though. When I had a bad shot, Kevin stepped up and vice versa."
Scott was 3-under on the back in the morning and Carrigan was 4-under on the front.
The Nanaimo twosome of Sandy Harper and Stephen Watson earned sa国际传媒 1 1 /2 points in their two matches.
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