Joe Highsmith of Lakewood, Wash., RJ Manke of Lakewood, and Sean Kato of Redmond, Wash. were selected to represent Washington Golf at this year’s Morse Cup team competition, which took place simultaneously with the 54th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship being held this week at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.
They finished tied for second in the Morse Cup competition, at 8-under-par, one shot back of the team from the Southern California Golf Association.
The 2021 Pacific Coast Amateur is being held July 20-23, with the Morse Cup competition taking place during the first two days of the 72-hole competition. There are 15 teams in the competition, one from each of the 15 golf associations that make up the Pacific Coast Golf Association. Two of the top three scores from each team in rounds one and two of the championship counted for the Morse Cup portion of the event.
Meet the WA Golf Morse Cup Team
Joe Highsmith
- Ranked No. 35 in World Amateur Golf Ranking
- Led Pepperdine University to 2021 NCAA National Championship, going 3-0 in match play
- Qualified for 2021 U.S. Open
- Named 2019 WA Golf Men’s Player of the Year
- Rising senior on Pepperdine’s men’s golf team
RJ Manke
- 2021 Washington Men’s Amateur champion; first multiple winner in 52 years (also won it in 2018)
- Member of Pepperdine University men’s golf team that won 2021 NCAA National Championship
- Recent transfer to University of Washington, where he’ll compete in his final year of eligibility
Sean Kato
- Qualified for the 2021 U.S. Amateur
- Qualified for the 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, also held at Chambers Bay
- 2020 Washington Men’s Amateur champion, also held at Chambers Bay
- Rising senior on the Oregon State University men’s golf team
About the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship
The Pacific Coast Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf championships in North America. The first championship was held on the links of San Francisco Golf Club at The Presidio in 1901. After being played until 1911, The Pacific Coast Amateur then ceased to exist, only to be reconstituted at Seattle Golf Club in 1967. Today, 15 member Pacific Rim golf associations comprise the Pacific Coast Golf Association.
Held on an annual basis since 1967, the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship boasts a rich history of showcasing some of the most talented golfers in the United States and Canada.
Past champions of the Pacific Coast Amateur who have gone on to successful professional careers include PGA Tour winners Billy Mayfair (1987, 1988), Jason Gore (1997) and Ben Crane (1998) as well as Web.com Tour winners and brothers Michael Putnam (2004) and Andrew Putnam (2010).
For more information on the championship, visit pacificcoastamateur.com.