With the completion of qualifying held this week at five different sites throughout the state, the field for the 102nd Washington Men’s Amateur Championship has been finalized. The championship proper will be held June 27-29, 2023 at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Wash.
Results of the five qualifying sites can be viewed here:
This year’s championship received nearly 400 entries from those vying for a spot in the field of 120 who will compete in the championship proper. There are 23 players, including defending champion Jace Minni, who have accepted an exemption into this year’s championship based on criteria previously set forth, with the five qualifying rounds held to fill out the rest of the field.
The championship will consist of 54 holes of stroke play, with the field cut to the low 60 players and ties after 36 holes. The three-day state championship is being conducted by Washington Golf (WA Golf).
Winner of this year’s championship will earn exemptions into these events: the 2023 Pacific Coast Amateur, 2024 Washington Champion of Champions, 2024 Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur, and a lifetime exemption in the Washington Men’s Amateur.
Click here for full details on the championship, including a list of all past champions.
The state’s premier men’s amateur championship, which is a counting event toward the World Amateur Golf Ranking, traditionally attracts the region’s finest players.
In last year’s championship, Jace Minni of Delta, B.C. shot rounds of 73-73-68 at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland to win by a shot over Max Herendeen. Minni, who previously had been selected for the Canadian National Junior Team, is a rising senior at Gonzaga University, where he plays on the men’s golf team.
The Washington Men’s Amateur is the longest-running continuously-held golf championship in the state. Its illustrious history traces the arc and the growth of the state’s golf community. Past champions include Fred Couples, Joel Dahmen, Alex Prugh, Brock Mackenzie, Kermit Zarley, John Bodenhamer, and Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famers Al Mengert, Bud Ward, Jack Westland and Harry Givan, among many others. A history of the championship can be found here.
About Wine Valley Golf Club
Designed by Northwest native Dan Hixson and opened in 2009, Wine Valley Golf Club has already been the site of numerous tournaments and championships, including the 2012 and 2016 PNGA Men’s Amateur, the 2013 PNGA Women’s Amateur, numerous USGA qualifiers, and from 2010-2021 was the site of the PGA Section’s Northwest Open Invitational. Wine Valley has previously hosted the Washington Men’s Amateur in 2014.