State of the week: Oregon

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May. 25, 2008
By Ceri Mobley, PGATOUR.COM Associate Site Producer

Where are we? The Beaver State. This Pacific Northwest state is perfect for golfing, given that if it's famous for anything, it's the wild and beautiful landscape. That coupled with the fact that Nike has its headquarters there -- there's nothing like a Tiger Woods-endorsed company for upping interest in the sport.

Oregon history: You might be surprised to learn that Oregon was the 33rd state to join the Union, which occurred in 1859 -- on Valentine's Day to be precise -- so it's not as young a state as you'd think. The region was first explored by James Cook during his search for the Northwest Passage, and it was later part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Further exploration by England's David Thompson led to the discovery of the abundance of "fur-bearing" animals, and the Beaver State became the Western outpost home of New Yorker John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company. That was the first permanent European settlement in Oregon. In the early 1840s, the Oregon Trail brought many more settlers to the region.

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Sun River resort is the host of the JELD-WEN Tradition and has a wonderful hotel to go with the course.

Oregon on the course: Anywhere Tiger Woods has swung a winning club tends to be worth its salt -- he has the Midas touch like that. So it's no surprise that one of Oregon's best courses, Pumpkin Ridge, was the site of young Tiger's third U.S. Amateur win in 1996. In addition to that claim to fame, Pumpkin Ridge has also twice hosted the U.S. Women's Open -- in 1997 and 2003. Handily, the course is located in the Portland area, so if you want to be close to civilization instead of the Oregon wilds, then this is perfect. Another great Oregon course is Bandon Dunes. A links setup along Oregon's rugged coast, the club has three courses nestled between sandy dunes and towering pines. Get a taste of golf as Scotland intended it to be -- 6,000 miles away from its home.

Oregon off the course: The Beaver State is a state for outdoor lovers, so if you're more of a watch-the-Travel-Channel-than-experience-it person, then you might just want to stick to the golf course. However, if you do enjoy the great outdoors, then Oregon will be a heavenly vacation spot for you. You can bike. You can hike. You can fish. You can camp. You can ski. You can golf. And, perhaps best of all, you can taste wine. You can't taste wine all day though, unfortunately. So if you're looking for a magic eight ball to tell you which of these activities to pick, then go with fishing. They have some big ones thrashing around in the rivers out there. If you're lucky, you won't even have to make up a story about the one that got away.

Oregon resort: Home of the Champions Tour's fourth major of the year, the JELD-WEN Tradition, Sun River Resort has everything the Pacific Northwest is famous for. Work your muscles to the bone with on-site tennis and golf, then reward yourself with spa treatments. Have family portraits taken with the spectacular mountain backdrop by the on-site professional photographers. Off site, you can go white-water rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, ATV riding, rock climbing, paintballing and so much more. And the best part? Relaxing in your fabulous room with views of the bold mountains and soft sunsets.

Oregon eats: Oregon grows much of its own food produce right in state; from salmon and cheese to fruits and veggies, many restaurant menus will offer dishes put together solely of local ingredients. Coffee, wine and beer are also home grown in Oregon, and one of the best places to sample the food and beverages of the state is Portland.

Oregon culture: The Oregon Trail led from Missouri and Iowa across four states to the Beaver State, and there are historic landmarks all along the way. But the end point is what everyone was interested in back in the 1840s, and it's what we're interested in here. Visit any of the six historic sites along the Oregon stretch of the trail -- Grande Ronde, Whitman Mission, The Dalles, Barlow Gate, Oregon City and Fort Vancouver -- to learn more about one of the largest migrations in American history.

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Ben Crane was born in Portland, Ore.

Oregon golfer: Ben Crane was born in Portland and went to the University of Oregon. He graduated in 1999 with a degree in Sociology and then traded in the textbooks for a golf bag as he turned pro that same year. He has two TOUR wins -- the most recent one coming in 2005 at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. His first win came in 2003 at the BellSouth Classic. Crane is off to a good start this year; his best finishes were a tie for fourth at the FBR Open and, most recently, a tie for sixth at THE PLAYERS Championship. He's currently 50th in FedExCup standings, and with more of the play he displayed at TPC Sawgrass a couple of weeks ago, he could guarantee himself some good playing time in this year's playoffs.