Buhr, Saarinen win Northwest Championship after Portland test at Milo McIver

Gannon Buhr turned Portland into another notch on his belt, firing an 11-under final round at Glendoveer East to rally from four back and win the Northwest Championship at 32-under. Silva Saarinen was just as commanding on the women’s side, closing at 34-under for a five-stroke FPO victory that underlined how quickly she has become a force on the 2026 Tour.

That margin matters because this event was built to expose the difference between players who can survive and players who can control a course. The four-day DGPT+ stop ran through Riverbend Gold at Milo McIver State Park and Glendoveer East, two venues that will also host the 2027 PDGA Pro World Championships. In MPO, the layouts stretched to 9,823 feet at par 62 in Estacada and 11,530 feet at par 66 at Glendoveer East. FPO faced 8,907 feet at par 67 and 9,460 feet at par 68. This was a scoring test, but it was also a precision test, and Portland rewarded the players who could keep making birdies without leaking strokes.

Buhr answered both questions better than anyone. He entered the final round four strokes behind Eagle McMahon, then ripped off the low round of the day to secure his fourth Tour win of 2026 and the 23rd DGPT victory of his career. The numbers behind the win tell the story: Buhr led the field in parked percentage and strokes gained from tee to green, and his 49 percent birdie rate showed why he keeps setting the standard on Tour. In a field that included 111 MPO players, he did not just chase down McMahon. He made the entire event look like a referendum on who could hit lines under pressure.

Saarinen’s win carried its own weight. Her 34-under total came with a five-shot cushion over Holyn Handley at 29-under, while Eliezra Midtlyng took third at 26-under and Ohn Scoggins tied for fourth at 23-under. It was Saarinen’s second Tour victory of 2026 and her first DGPT+ win, the kind of result that confirms a rise instead of hinting at one.

The backdrop only sharpened the significance. DGPT had framed Portland as one of the biggest stops on the season, and the press conference stage reflected that with Buhr, Handley, Calvin Heimburg, Saarinen, Nate Sexton, Cole Redalen and Tour Director Jeff Spring all in the mix. With defending champions Buhr and Handley both back in the spotlight, Portland delivered exactly what an early-season truth test should: a clear read on who can win when the tee shots get tighter, the scoring gaps shrink, and the Tour starts moving toward the heart of the season.