108th PNGA MEN'S AMATEUR
At The Home Course, Dupont

Score: Top-seeded Tyler Matthews, of Redmond, defeated No. 26 Josh Anderson, of Murrieta, Calif., 5-and-4.

Why he won: Sometimes 40 and 50 yards behind Anderson off the tee, Matthews' long-iron approaches, and putting inside 10 feet finally wore down the 2007 California State Amateur champion.

Turning point: Matthews made a downhill and curling 57-foot birdie putt on the par-4 seventh hole (25th hole) in the afternoon to grab a 3-up lead.

Clinching moment: Facing a 220-yard approach from the right rough, Matthews laced a 4-iron to the middle of the green on the par-4 13th – the match's 33rd hole – while Anderson yanked a shorter approach left in greenside rough. Matthews made a par; Anderson a bogey. Matthews won the title on the next hole.

Quotable: "I'd been kind of teetering, asking (myself), 'Am I good enough to turn pro?' I didn't know, my confidence has been low. This win gives me a boatload of confidence to turn pro in the fall."

This week: Nationwide Tour's Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic, Thursday through Sunday, The Georgian Bay Club, Clarksburg, Ontario, Canada.

Third-round score: 2-over-par 73.

Position: Putnam (1-under 213) is tied for 63rd, 17 strokes behind leader Roger Tambellini (196).

Recap: An up-and-down day on the par-5 holes featured a pair of double bogeys (No. 7 and 18) and his tour-leading 15th eagle on the 13th hole. In fact, that eagle moved him to 3-under on his round before losing five shots the rest of the way.

Tee time Sunday: 7:05 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

This week: PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.

Second-round scores: Stanley shot a 5-under-par 66, Moore had a 67 and Kelly a 69.

Position: Stanley (5-under 137) is tied for 30th, and Moore (138) is tied for 48th. Both made the cut. Kelly (144) finished tied for 122nd. Darron Stiles leads at 13-under 129.

Recap: A slow start suddenly got hot for Stanley, the Gig Harbor product who went 4-under in four holes. The highlight was his 4-iron approach to the par-5 second, and sinking a 17-foot putt for eagle. … Moore, of Puyallup, had his own scorching stretch by going 5-under in four holes on his opening nine holes. He, too, eagled a par-5 by making a 27-foot putt. … Kelly, a Tacoma resident, had his first under-par score in the past 18 rounds – and first one in the 60s since the Bob Hope Classic. He had two birdies and no bogeys Saturday.

Tee times Sunday: Off the 10th tee, Moore at 5:48 a.m. PDT with Bart Bryant and Chris Riley, and Stanley at 4:54 a.m. PDT with Mark Calcavecchia and Pat Perez.

Except for a few family members and close friends, and the teenager he once defeated for the KingCo Conference championship in high school for his lone career victory, few had any idea who golfer Tyler Matthews was before this week.

Ask most of the top amateurs in the Pacific Northwest Golf Association about the Inglemoor High and Vanderbilt University graduate, they'd give you a blank stare and shrug of the shoulders.

His opponent – California's Josh Anderson – in the finals of the 108 PNGA Men's Amateur only knew him by his birdie-filled scorecards from previous match-play rounds.

Well, that all changed on a sunny Saturday afternoon on The Home Course in Dupont where the medalist and No. 1 seed from Redmond finished what he started by rolling to a 5-and-4 victory in the championship match.

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