Woodinville, Wash. – The 104th Washington Men’s Amateur Championship is set to take place this week, June 24-25, at Bear Creek Country Club in Woodinville, Wash.
The championship will consist of 54 holes of stroke play, with the field of 123 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. The championship has been designated as an official USGA Exemption Event, and the winner will receive an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship.
This year’s championship received nearly 400 entries from those vying for a spot in the field of 123. There were 28 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 123.
Some of the players to watch in the Men’s Amateur include:
- Dane Huddleston of Woodland: The defending champion, will be looking to repeat; finished T2 in 2023; earlier this month won his second consecutive Royal Oaks Invitational; recently transferred to the University of Illinois as a rising junior.
- Charlie Kern of Seattle: Won this championship in 2015, turned professional shortly afterward, and has recently regained his amateur status.
- Collin Hodgkinson of Beaverton, Ore.: Won the 2021 PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur; a rising senior at Oregon State University.
- Tom Brandes of Bellevue: At age 68, is the oldest player in the field; 2015 inductee into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame; nine-time winner of the Washington Senior Men’s Amateur and three-time winner of the Washington Men’s Mid-Amateur, of which his win in the 2022 championship made him, at age 65 at the time, the oldest mid-amateur state champion in the U.S.
- Johnny Carey of Seattle: Finished T-2 and won low amateur at the 2024 Washington Open; won the 2024 Snohomish County Amateur; top-10 finish at the 2024 Washington Men’s Champion of Champions.
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 Joe Highsmith, RJ Manke, 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.
The Men’s Amateur is one of 14 championships conducted annually by WA Golf.
About Washington Golf
Founded in 1922, Washington Golf (formerly known as WSGA) has grown into one of the largest amateur golf associations in the United States, providing a multitude of member benefits and services to more than 96,000 golfers, 520 member clubs, and 260 golf facilities throughout Washington and Northern Idaho. WA Golf serves as the 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.