Headline: Wellesley's Pam Kuong Continues Impressive USGA Championship Proper Streak at U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur

For Immediate Release: September 11, 2017

Pam Kuong advanced to the round of 64 at the 56th U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship

Portland, Ore. – Massachusetts native Pam Kuong, the 2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship Runner Up, began her quest for a 2017 title this past weekend at Oregon’s Waverly Country Club, site of the 56th playing of the annual Championship Proper.

After finishing T35 in the 36-hole portion of stroke play on Saturday and Sunday, the Wellesley native advanced to what was her sixth straight appearance in the match play portion of the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and her seventh time competing overall since gaining senior status in 2011.

In the midst of a three-year exemption period into the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, the result of her second place finish in 2015, Kuong once again solidified herself as one of region's top amateur golfers. Despite only picking up the sport competitively 11 years ago, the former Ohio Wesleyan University standout athlete has won two WGAM Amateur Championship titles, a plethora of New England and New England Women’s Senior Amateur Championships all the while appearing in nearly two dozen USGA Championships.

The second of three USGA Championships Proper that she’d play in during the 2017 season, Kuong was paired against Colorado’s Kim Eaton, a member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame on Monday in the first round of match play. Despite a valiant effort, the lone Bay State native in the field fell 4 and 2, ending her hopes at hoisting a USGA Championship trophy … for now.

After dropping two of the first three holes in her first match, Kuong won the fourth hole by making par on the the 330-yard 4th hole to cut into the deficit. However, Eaton won four of the next five holes and led by as much as 5 up through 9 holes.

In typical fashion, however, Kuong showed no quit as she carded matching scores on four straight holes on her back nine, then won two of her final three holes of competition. On the brink of elimination, the match ended when Eaton made birdie on the 16th hole.

Despite her first round knockout, advancing to yet another USGA Championship was the ultimate highlight for Kuong in the golf community.   

“Pam has proven to be one of the top amateur golfers of her generation based on her play in local, regional, and national events,” said MGA Executive Director, Jesse Menachem. “Although her play ended before she may have liked, she still has lots to be proud of. The entire Massachusetts golf community congratulates her on reaching yet another USGA Championship and we know that she’ll be back competing on the national level soon.”

In fact, Kuong won’t have to wait long before getting a shot at another USGA Championship. The 56-year-old Kuong, a Bank of America Vice President, will head to Naples Florida in October for the 2017 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, being contested at Quail Creek Country Club. That event, the last competitive event on the USGA schedule in 2017, is set for October 7-12.  

In August, she was one of six to advance from the local qualifier held at Canton’s Blue Hills Country Club and the only Massachusetts native from the host site to qualify. Both alternate spots were awarded by Bay State natives. 

The U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will be the third USGA Championship Proper of the season for Kuong, who also competed in the US Women’s Four Ball Championship earlier this season. She and longtime MGA competitor, Susan Curtin, both competed in the stroke play portion of the Championship Proper at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. this past Memorial Day Weekend.

For more information on the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, visit www.usga.org