On a picturesque, if warm, day in Washington’s wine country, players had to score to contend at the Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Amateur. Perhaps no one embodied that better than Scott Masingill, the Payette, Idaho, native who is co-leading the Super Senior division.
Masingill’s card prompts a double-take. In the opening round at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, Masingill started his day with nine 3s – birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie. In fact, he made 3 on half the holes he played for his 4-under 68.
This is unsurprising from Masingill, whose golf life in the Pacific Northwest has been highlighted by a stout junior and college career, including the 1971 Pac-8 individual title while playing for Oregon State. He made a quick foray into professional senior golf but has since returned to the amateur game.
Masingill was inducted into the Idaho Golf Association’s Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2024. In 2019, the IGA named the state amateur trophy after him. He has won that event nine times in his life.
At Wine Valley, Masingill shares the Super Senior lead with another PNW legend, however. Pat O’Donnell, a Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Famer, also fired an opening 68. Last year, O’Donnell opened this event with 67 for the lead.
O’Donnell is familiar with Wine Valley through his good friend Jim Pliska, the course owner.
Pliska, who is also in the field, is third in the Super Senior division after a 2-under 70. He had only one bogey for the day.
Pliska runs Space Age Fuel, one of the largest independent fuel marketers in Oregon, and in addition to Wine Valley also owns Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, Oregon. The latter course is home to the University of Oregon golf teams.
Despite his busy work schedule, Pliska competes six or seven times a year and is constantly working on his game as he splits his time between the Pacific Northwest, Southern California and Las Vegas.
“My game, I can feel it’s getting better but getting it consistently better,” Pliska told Golfweek this spring, “it’s still got work to be done.”
Scores were also low in the Senior division, as co-leaders Donald Bidinger of Bainbridge Island, Washington, and Chris Brauner of Middleton, Wisconsin, used rounds of 3-under 69 to climb to the top of the leaderboard. They lead Juan Angel, of Colombia, by a shot.
Angel is the No. 2-ranked player in the 55-and-over category according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He has competed in the Latin America Amateur Championship the past three years and won several senior events in Colombia.
Behind Angel, four players are tied for fourth at 1 under: Greg Chianello, Craig Larson, Kevin VandenBerg and Trent Gregory.
Dan Parkinson of Lehi, Utah, and Gerry Graham of Mesa, Arizona, are tied atop the Legends division after rounds of 2-over 74. Parkinson is ranked No. 6 in Golfweek’s National Senior Amateur Ranking for Legends players.
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