Washington golf pro leads after Day 1 of PGA Professional Championship

Austin Hurt – the head golf professional at Wing Point Golf & Country Club in Bainbridge Island, Washington – shot 8-under 64 on the Bandon Dunes course to take the opening-round lead Sunday in the PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon. Hurt has played at Bandon Dunes numerous times and was able to put his experience at the popular resort to good use on the golf holes that stretch along cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. “I've played here many times,” said Hurt, the 2023 and 2025 Pacific Northwest PGA Professional Champion.

“I'd say the experience today helped me tremendously. You can miss in certain spots and get away with certain shots, but, yeah, we've been coming here for a while. It’s an easy jaunt, about seven hours from Seattle.

It's kind of heaven on earth down here for sure. ” The 312 PGA of American pros in the tournament are splitting the first two of the tournament’s four rounds on Bandon Dunes, the first course to open at the resort in 1999, and Pacific Dunes, which opened in 2001. After the cut is made Monday night, the final two rounds of the tournament will be on Bandon Dunes only.

Jeff Kellen of Glenview, Illinois, shot 7-under 65 on Bandon Dunes to take second place after Sunday’s opening round. Erik Matthewson of Las Vegas was in third after a 6-under 65 on Pacific Dunes. Allie Knight of Knoxville, Tennessee, shot 67 on Bandon Dunes and was in fourth place, and 2023 PPC champion Braden Shattuck of Aston, Pennsylvania, was in fifth place after a 67 on Pacific Dunes.