After the first round of the 4th Washington State Men's Mid-Amateur Championship, Jesse Sitterud of Bellevue, Wash. and Erik Hanson of Kirkland, Wash. are tied for the lead, both shooting even-par 71s on the Rope Rider course at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Wash. Leslie Folsom of Seattle is making a case for defending her title in the Women's Mid-Amateur Championship, shooting a 5-over par 77.
Both championships are being conducted by the Washington State Golf Association, and are being held concurrently on the resort's Jacobsen/Hardy-designed layout.
Sitterud and Hanson each had two bogeys and two birdies in their round, and are two strokes ahead of Jim McNelis of Gig Harbor, Wash., Craig Larson of Tacoma and Ben Garrett of Seattle.
Defending champion Tom Brandes of Bellevue is tied for 10th, after finishing with a 4-over par 75. After making birdie on the par-5 17th hole, Brandes stumbled on the final hole, making double-bogey.
In a roller-coaster round that included eight bogeys, three birdies and seven pars, Folsom pieced together a score that puts her two strokes ahead of Catherine Chamberlain of Mercer Island, Wash.
Be sure to follow along with tomorrow's final round live scoring at www.thewsga.org. The leaders in the Women's Mid-Amateur are scheduled to tee off at 8:50 a.m., while the leaders in the Men's Mid-Amateur will tee off at 2:10 p.m.
