Defending champion Daniel Campbell, strong field highlight Rosauers Open
When identifying favorites for this weekend’s 39th Rosauers Open Invitational at Indian Canyon Golf Course, last year’s final leaderboard offers a reasonable place to start.
Daniel Campbell hoisted the Rosauers’ trophy last July for the second time, becoming the seventh player with multiple titles at the major tournament on the PGA Pacific Northwest Section circuit.
Campbell buried a 4-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a one-shot win over 2023 champ Conner Robbins and 2024 champ Andrew Von Lossow. The top 16 featured numerous familiar names on Rosauers’ Sunday leaderboards, including Shane Prante, David Phay (2012 champ), Colin Inglis (2021), Russell Grove, Ryan Benzel (2005) and Brian Thornton.
Most of those players are back for the 54-hole event, which runs Friday through Sunday.
“You could look at all the years before – Conner, Campbell of course, Brady Sharp (2017), Scott Erdmann (2019), Corey Prugh (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015),” said Indian Canyon pro Doug Phares, citing a string of past champions.
Phares mentioned more contenders, including Austin Hurt, Derek Berg and amateurs Von Lossow and Sam Pauly, the latter an assistant at Indian Canyon who played at Shadle Park High, Spokane Colleges and Whitworth.
“There’s just a lot of really good players,” Phares added.
Campbell, an assistant pro at Bellingham Golf and Country Club, will attempt to become only the second player to capture back-to-back Rosauers titles (Greg Whisman did it in 1994-95) and just the third with at least three wins. That short list is led by Prugh, golf coach at Spokane Colleges, and Jeff Coston (1997, 2006 and 2008).
Grove, Coston and Inglis aren’t in this year’s field.
“He’s been in the mix every year,” Von Lossow said of Campbell, the 2022 champion. “He won the Oregon Open, shot a 63 down there one of the days. My pal (and Grass League teammate) Blake Snyder, he just loves Indian Canyon, just like Daniel.”
Campbell finished 13 under at Black Butte Ranch for a six-shot win over Snyder a month ago at the Oregon Open, another section major. Jeff Gove, director of instruction at the Idaho Club near Sandpoint and winner of the Washington Open in May, was scheduled to play with Campbell in Friday’s opening round but was a late scratch.
Indian Canyon’s 6,255-yard layout meshes well with the left-handed Campbell.
“He hits the ball so consistently, a nice fade, kind of a signature cut shot,” said Von Lossow, who played with Robbins and Campbell in the final round last July. “Really good chipper. When he’s playing well, it seems like he’s always 20 feet and in every time. Hits it really smooth and the course kind of fits his eye.”
Von Lossow has had an up-and-down season leading into his first sectional tournament of the year.
“I’d say I’m on the right path for playing some good golf but at the same time trying to keep expectations lower because I haven’t been playing as much as I normally would,” he said. “I’m looking forward to playing an event that’s more than one round.”
Phares said the course is in ideal condition. It’s always advisable to stay below the hole on approach shots and avoid swift, breaking downhill putts.
“Molly Cooper (senior director of the Pacific Northwest Section) is the tournament director and she’s done the painting for ground under repair forever,” Phares said. “It grows smaller what she has to mark every year. The course is fantastic.”