DuPont, Wash. - Bradley Mulder of Spokane, Wash. shot rounds of 66-67-71 to win the 105th Washington Men’s Amateur by a single stroke over Sam Renner (Bend, Ore.).
The Championship was held this week, June 23-25, at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., marking first time The Home Course had hosted the Men’s Amateur since the golf course opened in 2007. The Home Course is co-owned and operated by WA Golf and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.
The win earns Mulder an exemption into the 2026 U.S. Amateur, to be held at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. from August 10-16.
Conditions during the final round sharply contrasted those of the first two, with overcast skies, moderate winds, and temperatures in the low 60s in the South Puget Sound region.
Following the completion of play Wednesday, a 36-hole cut reduced the field of 120 players to the low 60 and ties.
Championship Links:
Mulder’s victory was not achieved without him displaying exceptional resilience throughout the final round. Entering with a three-shot lead over Brock Maulding (Lake Tapps, Wash.), Mulder made his second bogey of his entire week on his first hole. He then went on birdie-bogey-birdie stretch on holes 3-5, leaving him even for his round by the time he reached his seventh hole. His tee shot on that hole was lost out of bounds, leading to a double bogey, and Mulder eventually made the turn in 39 (+3).
“I felt like things weren’t going my way,” Mulder admitted of his front side after the round. “And then the back nine, I just started playing better.”
Making an attitude adjustment, Mulder birdied the 10th and saved par on 11, the latter from a fescue-laden hillside lie to the right of the green. Three more pars followed.
By then, Maulding, playing with him, had overtaken him, as had a charging Renner. But staying even-keel, Mulder began a three-birdie streak on holes 15-17 to regain a one-shot advantage over Maulding.
Mulder found the fairway on 18, and subsequently the green, while Maulding found a greenside bunker, complicating the latter’s path to a tying birdie. Maulding bogeyed the last hole, while Mulder two-putted for par to clinch the win by one stroke.
“It feels pretty unreal, to be honest,” Mulder said. “I haven’t been going to this championship for too long. It’s really cool to see how my hard work has paid off.”
Walking off the 18th green, Mulder shared an embrace with his parents, Rachelle and Kurt, as well as a fist bump with his identical twin brother, Benjamin, himself a golfer at Washington State University.
“We talk about golf 24/7,” Bradley said of the relationship with his brother.
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Sam Renner
Renner finished second, at the 11-under total from which Mulder began the day. Five back of the lead to start, Renner’s day began with three thunderous birdies in his first four holes before he dropped just one shot at the par-3 sixth hole. That was his only bogey, and Renner managed birdies on holes 10 and 11, the latter with a long putt. He got to 11-under by virtue of a birdie on 16, and two pars to finish allowed him to post that number, ultimately one shy of a potential playoff with Mulder.
The result nonetheless illustrates the tremendous level of play Renner has maintained in recent years, as the Washington State graduate is the current back-to-back champion of the PNGA Men’s Amateur and will attempt a third this year. He holds the lowest all-time scoring average at WSU.
Maulding, posting 10-under, secured solo third by three shots over defending champion Collin Hodgkinson (-7). Logan Medcalf, Benjamin Barrett, Von Wasson and Kai Lambro each tied for fifth (-6).
Mulder entered the championship week following an excellent spring season at Colorado Christian University, during which he was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC).
The Washington Men’s Amateur is the state’s premier men’s amateur championship and a counting event toward the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Traditionally attracting the region’s finest players, the championship has been designated as an official USGA Exemption Event, and the winner receives an exemption into the U.S. Amateur Championship.
This year’s championship received nearly 400 entries from those vying for a spot in the field of 120. 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, Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick, The Home Course, Liberty Lake Golf Course in Spokane and North Bellingham Golf Course in Bellingham – to fill out the remainder of the final field of 120.
The Washington Men’s Amateur is the longest continuously run golf championship in the state. Its illustrious history traces the arc and the growth of Washington’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 a 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, WA Golf is a 501c4 non-profit amateur golf association governed by men and women volunteers that has grown into one of the largest golf associations in the United States, providing a multitude of member benefits and services to more than 103,000 golfers, 520 member clubs, and 260 golf facilities throughout Washington and Northern Idaho. WA Golf also 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.
