Eric Hagen sets early pace at Washington State Men's Amateur

Eric Hagen of Olympia, Wash. shot 5-under 65 today to take the first-round lead at the 93rd Washington State Men’s Amateur Championship, being held this week at the par-70 Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash.

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Hagen, who is heading into his senior year playing on the men’s golf team at the University of Denver, had five birdies in his bogey-free opening round.

Hagen leads a crowded leaderboard, with five players tied for second place, two shots back of Hagen. Jared Beals (Enumclaw), John Sand, (Hoquiam), Padraic Sim (Seattle), Nick Mandell (Kennewick) and Reid Hatley (Hayden Lake, Idaho) all shot 3-under 67.

Only 12 competitors in the 120-player field broke par on the 7171-yard Palouse Ridge, which is the home course for the Washington State University men’s and women’s golf teams.

The championship consists of 54 holes of stroke play, with the field cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes. The initial field of 120 players was filled with 29 players exempted into the championship, with the other 91 players in the field entering through one of four qualifiers held throughout WSGA territory. The three-day championship is being conducted by the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA).

The first tee time for the second round is 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 7.

Click here for full details on the championship.

The state’s premier men’s amateur championship is a counting event toward the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Founded in 1922, the WSGA is a 501c4 non-profit, amateur golf association governed by men and women volunteers. Serving nearly 70,000 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 United States Golf Association (USGA) and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game.

To stay connected on social media, follow the WSGA on Twitter @theWSGA and use the hashtag #WSGAMensAm.