Champions Crowned at WIAA State Golf Championships

Another year of high school golf is in the books as the WIAA boys’ and girls’ state golf championships wrapped up at several courses across the state.

For a full list of the results from this year’s tournament click here.

High School State Champions Crowned
From L to R: Highsmith, Kwon, Tibbits

Five boys and four girls were crowned as individual champions across the nine different high-school divisions. Here are a few of the notable champions:

Joe Highsmith, Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.)

Highsmith, a senior, fired back-to-back rounds of 67-67 to win the 4A Boys’ tournament by three strokes over Jack Plaster of Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.) Highsmith who is committed to play golf at Pepperdine after graduation, was the qualifying medalist for the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, eventually making it to the Round of 32 in that championship. Last summer he won the AJGA Ryan Moore Junior Championship, finished second in the 2016 WJGA State Championship; and finished third in the 2016 Washington State Amateur, just one stroke out of a playoff. Highsmith was named the 2016 WSGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.

Brittany Kwon, Central Kitsap High School (Silverdale, Wash.)

A sophomore sensation at Central Kitsap High School, Kwon took home her second WIAA Class 3A state golf title in as many years cruising to a four shot lead after rounds of 66-77. Kwon won the PNGA Junior Girls’ title in 2014 as a 13-year-old and finished runner-up in that championship in 2016. Last year she won the WJGA State Championship and two other WJGA titles. Kwon was named the 2016 WSGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year.

Spencer Tibbits, Fort Vancouver High School (Vancouver, Wash.)

Spencer Tibbits, a senior, captured his third WIAA Class 3A state championship after rounds of 69-68 at Columbia Point Golf Course (Richland, Wash.) Tibbits, who is committed to play golf for Oregon State University after graduation was the 2016 PNGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year. In 2016 he won the PNW Junior PGA Championship, Oregon Junior Amateur and Oregon Junior Stroke Play, finished T13 at the Hogan Cup, T21 at the Junior PGA Championship, T28 at the Junior America’s Cup and qualified for the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur.