Bellingham, Wash. – Jacob Koppenberg shot 3-under 69 to take the lead after the first round of play in the 12th Washington Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, being held this week at Bellingham (Wash.) Golf and Country Club.

Koppenberg, a longtime Bellingham resident, birdied four of his last seven holes today to find himself on top of the leaderboard. He has a one-shot lead over Daniel Campbell, also of Bellingham, and a two-shot lead over Michael Cairns of Carnation, Wash.

Koppenberg, Campbell and Cairns were the only players out of a full field of 120 players to finish under par on a blustery day at the Bellingham layout.

Koppenberg is a volunteer assistant coach for the men’s golf team at Western Washington University, where he played collegiately. He has qualified for four U.S. Amateurs, and in 2019 was a semifinalist in the PNGA Men’s Amateur.

The final round of this 36-hole stroke-play championship will be held tomorrow, August 31, with the leaders teeing off at 1:50pm.

Earlier this month, Campbell won the North Bellingham Amateur, and last week was co-medalist in qualifying for the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He is a graduate of the University of the Fraser Valley, in British Columbia.

In 2020, Cairns made it to the round 16 in the PNGA Master-40 Amateur. He finished tied for 46th in last year’s Washington Men’s Mid-Amateur.

Click here for full details on the championship.

Click here to follow along with live scoring, and for tee times and pairings in round two.

To be eligible for this championship, contestants must by 25 years of age or older by August 30, 2021. Competitors must have an active GHIN number and USGA Handicap Index issued by a WA Golf member club not exceeding 9.9 at the time of entry.