Walla Walla, Wash. – The 102nd Washington Men’s Amateur Championship is set to take place June 27-29 at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, 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.
Championship Links:
The state’s premier men’s amateur championship, which is a counting event toward the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), traditionally attracts the region’s finest players.
This year’s championship received over 400 entries from those vying for a spot in the field of 120. There were 23 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, Latah Creek Golf Course in Spokane, The Home Course in DuPont, Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick and North Bellingham Golf Course in Bellingham – to fill out the remainder of the final field of 120.
In last year’s championship, Jace Minni of Delta, B.C. shot rounds of 73-73-68 at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland to win by a shot over Max Herendeen. Minni, who previously had been selected for the Canadian National Junior Team, is a rising senior at Gonzaga University, where he plays on the men’s golf team.
Other players to watch in this year’s field include:
- Paul Mitzel (Quincy) – Won the 2022 PNGA Men’s Amateur Championship. Finished runner-up at the 2022 Washington Men’s Mid-Amateur.
- Jordan Brajcich (Snohomish) – Won the 2023 Washington Men’s Champion of Champions. Held the 36-hole lead at the 2022 Washington Men’s Amateur. Former collegiate player at Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Rhode Island.
- Baylor Larrabee (Ferndale) – Won the 2023 WIAA 4A High School Boys’ State Championship. Winner of two WJGA titles in 2023. Committed to play college golf for UCLA.
- Andrew Von Lossow (Spokane) – Reigning WA Golf Men’s and Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. Advanced to the Round of 32 at the 2022 U.S. Amateur. Finished T3 in the 2022 Washington Men’s Amateur.
- Reid Hatley (Hayden Lake, ID) – Won the 2019 Washington Men’s Amateur. Six-time WA Golf Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. Finished T3 in the 2022 Washington Men’s Amateur.
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 and John Bodenhamer, among many others. Complete information and full list of past champions can be found here.
About Wine Valley Golf Club
Designed by Northwest native Dan Hixson and opened in 2009, Wine Valley Golf Club has already been the site of numerous tournaments and championships, including the 2012 and 2016 PNGA Men’s Amateur, the 2013 PNGA Women’s Amateur, numerous USGA qualifiers, and from 2010-2021 was the site of the PGA Section’s Northwest Open Invitational. Wine Valley has previously hosted the Washington Men’s Amateur in 2014.
