Alvin Kwak of Mukilteo, Wash. shot 1-under 71 to claim medalist honors at U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying at Classic Golf Club in Spanaway, Wash.; while Gunnar Knutson of Mead, Wash. shot 3-over 75 to earn medalist honors at qualifying at the Club at Rock Creek in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
The other two players to advance from the Classic GC qualifier are Joe Highsmith of Lakewood, Wash. and Colt Sherrell of Maple Valley, Wash., both shooting 1-over 73s. Highsmith and Sherrell survived a playoff for the final two available spots in this qualifier, Highsmith making par on the second playoff hole and Sherrell making par on the third playoff hole. Knutson is the only player from the Rock Creek qualifier to advance. The four players from these two qualifiers will now advance to compete in the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, which will be held July 17-22 at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover, Kan. The Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) is the local representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and conducted these two qualifiers on June 20 for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. For complete hole-by-hole scores of all players at the Classic Golf Club qualifier,
click here; and for the Rock Creek qualifier,
click here.
Kwak was the only player in the field at Classic GC to break par on the 6,903-yard layout, firing two birdies against a lone bogey. Kwak, 16, won the 2014 U.S. Kids Teen World Championship while playing in the 13 and under age group, and just finished his sophomore year at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo. Highsmith recently won the 2017 WIAA 4A High School Championship. He was the qualifying medalist at last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier, and eventually made it to the Round of 32 in that championship. He was selected the 2016 WSGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year. Earlier this year, Sherrell won the Las Vegas Junior Amateur Championship. He finished fifth at the 2017 WIAA 4A High School Championship. He just finished his junior year at Tahoma High School.
Knutson just finished his sophomore year at Mt. Spokane High School. He won the 2017 District 8 3A High School title, winning that title by 15 shots over the second-place finisher.
The U.S. Junior Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs. Founded in 1922, the WSGA is a 501c4 non-profit, amateur golf association governed by men and women volunteers. Serving over 68,000 individual members at more than 550 member golf clubs and 270 golf courses throughout the state of Washington and Northern Idaho, the WSGA works to continually expand the game of golf to people of all backgrounds. The WSGA also serves as a statewide representative of the USGA and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game.
