Woodinville, Wash. – Quinn Burwell of Seattle shot a 7-under par 65 in round 1 to lead the 104th Washington Men’s Amateur Championship, three strokes ahead of Dane Huddleston, Charlie Kern, Collin Hodgkinson, and Guillermo Polo Bodart, who each shot 4-under par rounds of 68. The championship is being held at Bear Creek Country Club in Woodinville, Wash.
Championship Links:
Burwell’s round of 65 included six birdies and an eagle, against one bogey. He shot 31 on the back nine. Burwell’s round continues a consistent string of excellent play, as he’s recorded top-10 finishes in three of his four WJGA starts in 2025. Still without a WA Golf title, the 17-year-old figures to be in contention after a strong start.
Behind Burwell are four players tied for second:
Kern, of Seattle, was one of four players to card a 4-under par 68. He avoided danger for much of his day, scoring five birdies and only one bogey. A graduate of William & Mary University, Kern won the 2015 Men’s Amateur Championship, after which he turned professional. After spending four years on the Canadian Tour and a few more on other mini tours, he returned to Seattle last year, regained his amateur status and is making his first competitive golf start in three years.
“It’s nice to have a regular job, with a steady paycheck,” he said of his current life in Seattle, where he frequents the city’s public courses. At 31, Kern is in position to reclaim the title he won a decade ago.
Huddleston, of Woodland, Wash., is the defending Men’s Amateur Champion. In today’s opening round, he went 1-over through his first six holes, but six straight birdies after that vaulted him upward, settling for his 68 after a bogey on hole No. 14. Continuing to be one of the region’s most established young players, Huddleston won his second straight Royal Oaks Invitational earlier this month and took home five individual wins in two seasons playing golf at Utah Valley University. His next stop is the University of Illinois, and Big Ten Conference golf.
“Illinois has a really good practice facility, and I see this as an opportunity to further my game,” said the new member of the Fighting Illini, adding that it was still difficult to part with Utah Valley. “There was no bad blood, [Coach Chris Curran] understood it was time for me to move on.”
Bodart, of Spokane, plays his college golf at Gonzaga University. His 68 was bogey-free, making the native Argentine the only player in the top five with a clean card. A rising senior, Bodart led the Bulldogs with a low scoring average of 71.11 throughout the 2023-24 season, and he came to Spokane as the 2019 top-ranked Under-15 player in Argentina. Bodart, in search of his first WA Golf title, will look to improve upon his ninth-place finish in the 2024 Men’s Amateur.
Hodgkinson, of Beaverton, Ore., carded another 68, navigating Bear Creek with six birdies and two bogeys. Like Bodart, Hodgkinson is a rising senior, teeing it up at Oregon State University. The champion of the 2021 PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur, Hodgkinson is also in pursuit of his first WA Golf title.