The 2020 tournament schedule for the Alaska Golf Association is posted on its website and there is one significant change. The women will get their own State Am. The women’s game in Alaska has been in sharp decline for years, but last summer presented a new low when there were no women in the State […]
State match play is upon us
State Am champ Russell Marion is in Fairbanks, or at least he is scheduled to be by Thursday morning, to take a crack at a clean sweep of state titles. The Alaska state match-play tournament begins at Chena Bend golf course with a Thursday qualifying round and then continues with matches Friday through Sunday. The […]
Marion wins the State Am
We’ve sort of seen this story before, the one about the golfer from out of state who comes to Alaska and shows us all how the game is really played. Russell Marion, a 23-year-old from North Carolina burst on the local golf scene last summer when he won the Arctic Valley Open and became the […]
Marion leads by four shots at State Am
If it weren’t for an eagle at the 18th hole Saturday by Greg Sanders, Russell Marion would have a six-shot lead in the State Am at Palmer Golf Course. Instead he’ll nurse a four-shot lead heading into the final 18 holes Sunday. Marion fired a bogey-free 68 Saturday, which is impressive, because the championship flight […]
Marion leads by a shot through two rounds of State Am
The Palmer Golf Course must have played a little easier Friday than it did Thursday, because scores were down for a boatload of players. Russell Marion and Greg Sanders led the way with a pair of 68’s, setting up what could be an epic weekend showdown between a young, rising star in Alaskan golf and […]
Kollmann and Marion lead State Am, with Sanders and McMahan one back
I’ve never heard the name Kurt Kollman before Thursday, but he is good enough at golf to close the first round of the State Am at Palmer Golf Course with three straight birdies. He shot 71, matching the score posted by Russell Marion and those are the co-leaders with three rounds to play. Defending champion […]
And the winner of the State Am will be
Several years ago, after Casey Cusack won the State Am in dominating fashion, I got a chance to interview him for the local newspaper. As we talked, I was reminded that Cusack was not always such a force in golf. Naturally, I asked him if he had figured something out about the game and he […]
There are no women in the State Am
More than 100 men are set to tee off in the State Am this week at Palmer Golf Course, but zero women will be there to compete in the 72-hole state championship. This was verified on Facebook by Palmer’s director of golf, George Collum. Does this mean women’s golf is dead in Alaska? There were […]
The best idea the State Am ever had
I know the State Am isn’t a sentient being with a brain and therefore can’t get ideas, but you get the idea when I say the best idea the tournament ever had was the cut. Last summer was the first time I’m aware of the State Am having a cut after two days of play. […]
Some random facts about this week’s State Am
The Alaska State Am is starting Thursday. It’s the only 72-hole stroke-play tournament in Alaska, which makes it one of, if not the most, anticipated events each year. I’ve played in many State Ams over the years and covered several for the Anchorage Daily News, so I’ll rattle off some random facts from memory as […]