In today’s first round at the 10th Annual WSGA Champion of Champions, Jon McCaslin of Olympia shot a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 to lead the pack of the Men’s division. McCaslin is attempting to defend his title, having won this championship last year.
Two shots behind McCaslin are Kevin Beavers of Seattle, Nathan Cogswell of Kent and Ryan Kelly of Gig Harbor, all of which are tied for second at 4-under. In the Men’s division, only 10 players out of 50 broke par in the breezy conditions.
In the Women’s division, Victoria Fallgren of Spokane put some serious separation between her and the rest of the field by firing a 2-under-par 70, giving her a six-shot lead over the nearest contenders. Fallgren is the two-time reigning WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year.
It’s a dogfight in the Senior Men’s division, Alex Stamey of Mill Creek coming out on top for the time being. Stamey drained five birdies on his back nine on his way to shooting a 5-under-par 67, which gives him a slim one-shot lead over Bob Shannon of Bellingham. Lurking just two shots back is Tom Brandes of Bellevue, after finishing with a 3-under 69. Brandes is the three-time defending champion, and the reigning WSGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year.
In the Senior Women’s division, Leslie Folsom of Tukwila has a two-shot lead over Beth Wrigley of Spokane and Karen Madison of Spokane Valley. Folsom won last year’s title, and was recently selected to play on Team WSGA in next week’s PNGA Cup, which will be held at the Crosswater Club in Sunriver, Ore. Folsom also has won the Women’s division twice in this championship (2014, 2015).
Championship Links:
- Scores – CLICK HERE
- Final round pairings – CLICK HERE
- Complete information – CLICK HERE
The WSGA Champion of Champions, conducted by the Washington State Golf Association, is held annually at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash.
The championship is played over 36 holes of stroke play, with the final round being held tomorrow, April 24. This year’s field consists of 145 champions from around the state of Washington and Northern Idaho, competing in four divisions – Men, Senior Men, Women and Senior Women. It is the strongest and largest field to ever compete in the championship.
The winners of the past two Women’s titles – Jamie Huo of Auburn (2017) and Sarah Lawrence of Duvall (2016) – are tied at the top this year after today’s first round, both finishing at 1-under 71. Paired together today, neither could gain an edge over the other as both players had up and down rounds, matching several birdies and bogeys.
In the Senior Women’s division, Leslie Folsom of Tukwila, Wash. shot even-par 72 to take a 3-shot lead over Gretchen Klein of Hoquiam, Wash. Folsom won the Women’s title twice (2014, 2015). Klein is the defending champion in the Senior Women’s division.
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