Federal Way, Wash. – Four British Columbia natives have been awarded 2014 Players of the Year awards from the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA).
Adam Svensson of Surrey, Kevin Carrigan of Victoria, Christina Proteau of Port Alberni and Naomi Ko of Victoria all received awards in their respective fields.
Svensson, who won the award in the Men’s category, put together an impressive and consistent championship record in 2014. As a junior at Barry University in Florida, Svensson won seven of the 12 NCAA Division II events he competed in, a record that earned him the Jack Nicklaus Award for best Division II golfer in the nation. He finished T8 in the Canadian Amateur Championship, and T4 in the BC Amateur Championship. Svensson competed in the World Amateur Team Championships, where he took 7th place individually, and 2nd in the team competition.
Carrigan, who won the Men’s Mid-Amateur category, captured the honour for the third consecutive year. Carrigan had several top finishes in big events in 2014. He placed T6 in the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship, T7 in the BC Amateur Championship, and T10 in the Sahalee Players Championship. Carrigan also finished T43 in the Canadian Amateur Championship.
Proteau, who also received her third consecutive PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year honour, had a great season including a third straight run as champion of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur. Proteau was the BC Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, finished T4 in the BC Women’s Amateur Championship, and T49 in the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. Proteau made an incredible run in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, finishing as a quarterfinalist. Locally, Proteau took third place in the Washington State Women’s Amateur Championship.
Ko, who won the award for her exceptional play in the Junior Girls’ division, capped her remarkable year with a win at the BC Junior Girls’ Amateur Championship. She compiled top finishes in many events, including a fourth-place finish at the BC Women’s Amateur Championship, fourth in the Canadian Junior Girls’ Amateur Championship, runner-up in the AJGA St. Louis, and 13th in the AJGA Junior Girls’ Championship.
Also winning awards this year were Gigi Stoll of Beaverton, Ore. in the Women’s category; Kevin Carrigan of Victoria, B.C. in the Men’s Mid-Amateur category; Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash. in the Senior Men’s category.
The PNGA Player of the Year candidates are nominated by the various state and provincial golf associations that comprise the PNGA (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington), and are selected by a vote of the PNGA Championship Committee and members of the Northwest Golf Media Association. Awards are given annually in eight different categories: Men’s, Women’s, Senior Men’s, Senior Women’s, Junior Boys’, Junior Girls’, Men’s Mid-Amateur and Women’s Mid-Amateur. The awards are officially presented at the PNGA Annual Meeting in the spring.