Hatley wins Oregon Open
Photo courtesy Pacific Northwest PGA Section Reid Hatley of Hayden Lake poses with his hardware after winning the Oregon Open Invitational on Thursday in Bend, Ore.
Reid Hatley made some clutch putts on Thursday, and the result was his first victory in a Pacific Northwest PGA Section major.
Hatley, an amateur from Hayden Lake, birdied the 18th hole to get into a playoff, then birdied the same hole again on the first hole of the playoff to win the Oregon Open Invitational at the Pronghorn Golf Club in Bend, Ore.
“It feels awesome; I’ve been close so many times,” Hatley said in a phone interview from Oregon, just before flying home. Last week he finished fifth in a tournament in Mexico City, and he and his partner won the team title.
“I came in here this week feeling really confident, that my game was trending in the right direction.”
Hatley shot 71-71-73— 215, 1 under par. He defeated a pair of amateurs in the playoff — Darren Slackman (74-71-70) from The Creek at Qualchan in Spokane, and Pat O’Donnell (74-69-72) from Arrowhead Golf Club in Molalla, Ore.
The first round was played on the Nicklaus Course; the second and third rounds were played on the Fazio Course. Both are par-72s.
“It was really windy all week,” Hatley said.
Hatley knew he needed birdie on the final hole to get into the playoff. He was some 20 feet short and right of the green in two on the par-5 18th. He putted through the fringe to within 3 feet, and sank the birdie putt.
On the same hole as the playoff began, Hatley was just short of the green with his second shot.
He took a more aggressive line with his tee shot, and had just 200 to the hole for his second shot — some 60 yards closer than in regulation.
“I made one of the best swings I’ve made in those circumstances in a long time — left-to-right wind, water left, cant miss right, and it came up just a fraction short.
On his chip for eagle, the ball bounced off a sprinkler head and kicked straight right. Instead of a 2-3 footer for birdie, he was faced with a 10-footer.
O’Donnell hit his approach into the water, and Slackman left his 40-footer for eagle some 6-7 feet short.
Hatley sank his birdie putt and Slackman followed by missing.
“I made a really clutch putt on 16 that was way harder than that one (to get into the playoff),” Hatley said. “Eight-footer, wind blowing, downhill left to right. That was my biggest putt. That kept me in the tournament, essentially.
“I just really tried to focus this week on picking a line and committing to it and hitting it and accepting the results.”
Hatley, 38, is president and CEO of Hayden-based RHI Golf, which makes customized golf course products.
“I’ve never won a section event against all my customers and friends,” said Hatley, who was an assistant pro for four years before starting his golf products business, then was reinstated as an amateur four years ago. “I’ve really been working hard (Pacific Northwest Mid-Amateur Player of the Year each of the last four seasons). I’ve been feeding off of that. I get a lot of top-fives; a lot of top-10s. My goal this year was to get some wins.”
Sean Langham, former North Idaho College golfer now playing at the University of Idaho, shot 79-73-70—222, 6 over par, and tied for 16th. North Idaho College men’s and women’s golf coach Russell Grove, the 2017 Oregon Open champion, shot 72-78-73—223, 7 over, and tied for 19th.