Derek Bayley of Rathdrum, Idaho shot rounds of 64-74 to earn medalist honors in leading the field of 50 players who competed today in 36-hole U.S. Amateur Sectional qualifying at the par-72 Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash.
Along with Bayley, the other player to advance from this qualifier is Chris Hatch of Mukilteo, Wash., who shot rounds of 70-69.
Bayley and Hatch now advance to the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship, which will be held August 13-19 at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.
Bayley blistered the morning round in today’s qualifier, firing 11 birdies and making only four pars on his way to an 8-under 64.
Bayley continues his summer of quality golf. Last week he won the Rosauers Open Invitational in Spokane, Wash., competing against the region’s PGA professionals. This is the second time he has won the Rosauers, which is one of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA’s majors, having previously won it in 2016. Earlier this month he made it to the Round of 32 of the PNGA Men’s Amateur.
Last fall Bayley was named the 2017 WSGA Men’s Player of the Year, after finishing second in the Washington State Men’s Amateur and runner-up in the PNGA Men’s Amateur. He is a recent graduate of Washington State University, where he starred all four years on the men’s golf team. Today he competed on the school’s, and his, home course of Palouse Ridge.
In today’s afternoon round, Hatch was 5-under after 12 holes, and had a 1-shot lead over Bayley, but had two bogeys coming in to finish one shot back.
Hatch graduated from Western Washington University in 2017, where he played all four years on the men’s golf team, and was named a GNAC All Star all four years and First Team All-GNAC for three years. He set a GNAC record for 119 rounds played. He played in the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2015. Hatch also made it to the Round of 32 at the PNGA Men’s Amateur earlier this month.
The two alternates from this qualifier are Brian Mogg of Issaquah, Wash. (first) and Grant Cole of Pullman, Wash. (second).
The Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) is the local representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and conducted this Sectional qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Click here for hole-by-hole scoring of this Sectional qualifier.
Founded in 1922, the WSGA is a 501c4 non-profit, amateur golf association governed by men and women volunteers. Serving over 68,000 individual members at more than 550 member golf clubs and 270 golf courses throughout the state of Washington and Northern Idaho, the WSGA works to continually expand the game of golf to people of all backgrounds.
The WSGA also serves as a statewide representative of the USGA and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game.
