Richland, Wash. – The 101st Washington Men’s Amateur Championship is set to take place June 28-30 at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash. The championship will consist of 54 holes of stroke play, with the field cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes. The three-day championship is being conducted by Washington Golf (WA Golf).
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Click here for full details on the championship, including a list of all past champions. The state’s premier men’s amateur championship, which is a counting event toward the World Amateur Golf Ranking, traditionally attracts the region’s finest players. This year’s championship received more than 400 entries from those vying for a spot in the field of 120 who will compete in the championship proper. There were 19 players who had accepted an exemption into the championship based on criteria previously set forth, and five 18-hole qualifiers were held around the state – at Lake Spanaway Golf Course in Tacoma, Kalispel Golf and Country Club in Spokane, The Home Course in DuPont, North Bellingham Golf Course in Bellingham and Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla – to fill out the remainder of the final field of 120.Last year, RJ Manke of Lakewood shot rounds of 66-67-68 on the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash. He finished seven shots clear of the field. Manke also won this championship in 2018, and was the first multiple winner in 52 years. Not since Don Scott won back-to-back titles in 1968-1969 had any player won this championship more than once.
Notable names in this year’s strong field include:
- Sean Kato (Redmond) – Won the 2020 Washington Men’s Amateur; won the 2017 Washington State Junior Championship; qualified for the 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.
- Nathan Cogswell (Kent) – Won the 2020 Northwest Open Invitational, competing against the region’s PGA Professionals; finished fourth in 2020 Washington Men’s Amateur; named 2020 WA Golf Men’s Player of Year.
- Reid Hatley (Hayden Lake, Idaho) – Won the 2019 Washington Men’s Amateur; six-time WA Golf Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year.
- Ethan Evans (Mercer Island) – Named 2021 WA Golf Junior Boys’ Player of the Year; qualified for Final Qualifying at 2022 U.S. Open; 2021 Washington Junior State Champion; 2022 WIAA 3A State High School team champion.
- Andrew Von Lossow (Spokane) – Finished low amateur in 2022 Oregon Open (tied for third overall); won 2021 U.S. Hickory Open; won 2021 Washington Champion of Champions; qualified for Final Qualifying at 2021 U.S. Open.
- Zach Bixler (Richland) – Won the 2006 Washington Men’s Amateur.
- Max Herendeen (Bellevue) – Qualified for 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur; qualified for Final Qualifying for 2022 U.S. Open.
- Akshay Anand (Redmond) – Won the 2022 WIAA 4A State High School individual title.
The Washington Men’s Amateur is the longest-running continuously-held golf championship in the state. Its illustrious history traces the arc and the growth of the state’s golf community. Past champions include Fred Couples, Joel Dahmen, Alex Prugh, Brock Mackenzie, Kermit Zarley, John Bodenhamer, and Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famers Al Mengert, Bud Ward, Jack Westland and Harry Givan, among many others. A history of the championship can be found here.
Designed by Robert Muir Graves, Meadow Springs Country Club has been the site of numerous tournaments and championships, including the Washington Open (1988-1990), the Northwest Open (2008, 2009), and the 1986 PNGA Men’s Amateur. The Nike Tour’s (precursor to today’s Korn Ferry Tour) Tri-Cities Open was held at Meadow Springs from 1991-2001. This is the fourth time the Washington Men’s Amateur has been held at Meadow Springs, having previously been contested there in 1980, 1985 and 1990.
About Washington GolfFounded in 1922, WA Golf is celebrating its centennial in 2022. It is a 501c4 non-profit, amateur golf association governed by men and women volunteers. Serving more than 80,000 individual members at more than 550 member golf clubs and 270 golf courses throughout the state of Washington and Northern Idaho, WA Golf works to continually expand the game of golf to people of all backgrounds and abilities.
WA Golf also serves as a statewide representative of the United States Golf Association and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game.Visit wagolf.org for more information.
