Inglewood Golf Club in Kenmore, Wash. is set to host the 59th Washington State Men's Best-Ball and 22nd Senior Men's Best-Ball on May 21-22, 2015. Both championships are conducted by the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA).
The 36-hole championships will be competed over two days with morning and afternoon starting times off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees. Both championships will be held concurrently and will both see a full field of 52 two-man teams competing in the four-ball stroke play format.
Last year's champions in both events are back in 2015 to defend their titles. In the men's championship last year, Tyler Matthews and Matthew Steele of Bellevue, Wash. escaped with a one-stroke victory at White Horse Golf Club after posting an 8-under-par 64 on the first day and an even-par 72 the second. In the senior men's championship, John Von Lossow of Kirkland, Wash. and Duane Diede of Everett, Wash. cruised to a four-stroke win after shooting 5-under-par 67 and 2-under-par 70.
The Washington State Men's Best-Ball Championship was previously known as the Inglewood Best-Ball from 1956 until 1993, when in 1994 the WSGA began to run the event and introduced the Senior Men's Championship. The championship has not been played at Inglewood Golf Club since 2003, when Rob Matson and David Fern won the men's championship, while Al Reinikka and Fred Urquhart were senior champions.
Other notable names in the men's championship are 2013 champions Chris Bae of Issaquah, Wash. and Craig Larson of Tacoma, Wash. Bae and Larson finished T12 in 2014. Jake Easterly of Clackamas, Ore. and Luke Easterly of Sammamish, Wash. join the field at Inglewood, looking to compete again after finishing in third place in 2014, only two strokes off of the lead. Jason Follen of Fircrest, Wash. and Ryan Welborn of Tacoma, Wash. join the men's field again after they finished fourth last year at White Horse.
In the Senior Men's Championship, notables include Dr. Jack Lamey of Bellevue, Wash. and Bruce Richards of Seattle. Lamey and Richards have paired up to win the senior championship an impressive five times in the 21 years it has been played. They finished in second place in 2014, four strokes behind Von Lossow and Diede.
Chris DeGrazia of Lynnwood, Wash. and Mike Hickok of Kirkland, Wash. also join the field again at Inglewood. They finished tied for fifth in 2014, but were senior champions in 2013, and men's champions in 2009.
Inglewood Golf Club was established in 1919 at the north end of Lake Washington and was designed by renowned golf course architect and Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame member A.V. Macan. The club has a rich history of hosting competitive amateur golf, including the Washington State Men's and Women's Amateur Championships, and the Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur Championship.
For daily updates on scoring, starting times, and more, please visit www.thewsga.org. Follow WSGA Championships on Twitter for live updates at @WSGAChampions, and use the hashtag #WSGAMensBestBall to stay connected.
