The Washington State Golf Association announces the start of the 4th Washington State Men's Mid-Amateur and Women's Mid-Amateur Championships, which will be held on the Rope Rider course at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Wash. on August 20-21, 2013. The two championships are separate events but will run concurrently, and both are 36-hole individual stroke play competitions.
Notables in the field of the Men's Mid-Amateur include defending champion Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash. Last year, Brandes ran the tables in the region's championships, winning, along with the Mid-Amateur, the Washington State Men's Senior Amateur, the PNGA Men's Mid-Amateur, the PNGA Men's Senior Amateur, and the Washington State Senior Men's Champion of Champions. He is the three-time defending WSGA Men's Senior Player of the Year, and the defending Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. Brandes has already won this year's PNGA Men's Senior Amateur, and last week finished second in the British Senior Amateur held at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Scotland.
Among those challenging Brandes include 2010 champion Mike Haack of Bellevue, Wash.; Dave Farnam of Kent, Wash. who qualified for the 2010 USGA Senior Amateur and has won the Seattle Amateur a record eight times; 2009 WSGA Senior Men's Player of the Year Bob Burton of Everett, Wash.; and 2008 WSGA Senior Men's Player of the Year Kent Brown of Colville, Wash.
In the Women's Mid-Amateur, Leslie Folsom of Seattle will return to defend her title. She won last year's championship by a six-shot margin, with the victory propelling her to earning the 2012 WSGA Women's Mid-Amateur Player of the Year honors. She also won the SWGA City Championship.
Folsom will be facing a strong field this year, led by Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame member Ann Swanson of Bellevue, Wash. whose list of accomplishments includes playing in the U.S. Women's Open three times, and winning the WSWGA Amateur a record nine times. Other names to watch for are Robin Cole of Ellensburg, Wash., Jane Harris of Seattle, and Denise Kieffer of University Place, Wash.
Entries for the 2013 Washington State Men's and Women's Mid-Amateur Championships are open to players who have reached their 25th birthday by August 20, 2013, who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 16.4 for men and 24.4 for women, and are members in good standing of a WSGA member club, whether public or private. Champions of these two events earn an exemption into the 5th Annual WSGA Champion of Champions, which will be held at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. in April of 2014.
