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Tacoma, Wash. – The Washington Golf (WA Golf) Championship Committee has announced its Player of the Year award recipients for 2026.
The categories and honorees are as follows: Men’s, Baylor Larrabee (Ferndale); Women’s, Grace Lee (Bellevue); Men’s Mid-Amateur, Andrew Von Lossow (Spokane); Women’s Mid-Amateur, Taya Battistella (Bellingham); Senior Men’s, Paul Hogben (Seattle); Senior Women’s, Tina Papatolis (Issaquah); Junior Boys’, Ethan Schwan (Sammamish); and Junior Girls’, Amanda Peng (Bellevue).
"WA Golf is proud to recognize these championship players," said Tom Brandes, WA Golf championship committee chairman. "These individuals exemplify the highest standard in amateur golf both on and off the course. They have put in hours of hard work and have excelled under the pressure of tournament golf at the highest level."
The recipients will be honored at the 105th WA Golf Annual Meeting, held on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Twin Lakes Golf & Country Club in Federal Way, Wash.
View a full list of accomplishments for the 2026 WA Golf Players of the Year
Men’s Player of the Year
Baylor Larrabee was one of Washington's most established junior players prior to his 2024 graduation from Ferndale High School and has only continued such form at UCLA, where he is entering his third year. In 2026, Larrabee tied for sixth at the NCAA Championships, and was an All-Big Ten First Team selection. He was also one of 25 student athletes named as a PING All-West Region selection by the Golf Coaches Association of America and recorded five top 10 finishes and seven top 20 finishes. He also advanced to the Round of 16 at the 124th Western Amateur and qualified for the U.S. Amateur. As of week 40 of the 2026 season, Larrabee is No. 70 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Women’s Player of the Year
Grace Lee owns this honor for the second straight year. In May, she graduated from Gonzaga University and won the Washington Women's Amateur a few weeks later, itself a repeated achievement from 2025. She placed second in the Women's Western Amateur, ahead of many of the world's highest ranked players. Lee's win in the Washington Women's Am was wire-to-wire in nature and ultimately by seven strokes, and this win earned her a spot in the U.S. Women’s Amateur for the second consecutive year.
Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year
Andrew Von Lossow is also winning this award for the third year running, and fourth time overall. The Seattle-born Spokane County player accomplished plenty in his immediate vicinity, notching 2026 runner-up finishes in both the Rosauers Open Invitational and Spokane City Invitational. Von Lossow also advanced through U.S. Amateur Local Qualifying. He earned this honor in 2022, the same year he was named Men's Player of the Year.
Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year
Taya Battistella achieved success on just about every possible women's mid-amateur level across the U.S. and Canada. In addition to co-winning the Washington Women's Four-Ball, she placed second at the Canadian Women's Mid-Amateur. Battistella also made the Round of 64 at the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, after earning Medalist honors in Qualifying for that championship. Other strong finishes came in the form of both a fourth-place run at the WA Golf Women's Champion of Champions, and a sixth at the PNGA Women's Mid-Amateur. Battistella, like Von Lossow and Lee, also earns her POY honor for the second consecutive year.
Senior Men’s Player of the Year
Paul Hogben was rarely absent from the tops of senior leaderboards throughout the 2026 season. In June, he won the Washington Senior Men's Amateur at Olympia Country and Golf Club, a year after carding an ace in a playoff to win the same championship. Hogben also tied for third at the Washington Senior Open, competing against the region’s senior PGA club professionals; and recorded runner-up results at both the British Columbia Senior Men's Amateur Championship and Fort Lewis Senior Amateur.. This marks the first Player of the Year honor for Hogben in any category.
Senior Women’s Player of the Year
After turning 50 in February, Tina Papatolis made the most of her first year of senior golf. In April, she placed second in the Senior Women's division of the Washington Champion of Champions. The 2019 Women's Mid-Amateur POY won her third overall Washington Women's Mid-Amateur Championship at Walla Walla Country Club in June. Papatolis also won the PNGA Senior Women's Amateur and placed second in the Washington Senior Women's Amateur. On a wider scale, Papatolis placed second in a playoff at the Canadian Women's Senior Championship and made the Round of 32 at the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur.
Junior Boys’ Player of the Year
Ethan Schwan was one of the Washington Junior Golf Association's (WJGA) most consistent players in 2026. He won the WJGA Players Open and was runner-up at both the WJGA Cup and WJGA Eastern Open. In a comparatively stronger playing setting, Schwan tied for ninth at the Washington Men's Amateur at The Home Course in June. He tied for fourth at the Washington State Junior Amateur and made the Quarterfinals at the PNGA Junior Boys' Amateur. Schwan is committed to Washington State University and will graduate high school in 2027.
Junior Girls’ Player of the Year
Amanda Peng finished no lower than a tie for fifth in any of the nine points-paying events she played in 2026. Most prominently, she won the WJGA State Match Play and WJGA Cup. Peng also placed second in both the WJGA State Championship and Washington State Junior Am and, contending against Lee in the Washington Women's Amateur, Peng ultimately earned a third-place result in that championship. She capped her season by winning the PNGA Junior Girls’ Amateur. Peng finished atop the WJGA Points Standings by a margin of 220 points.
About the WA Golf Player of the Year Awards
Founded in 2007 as a way of recognizing and awarding excellence in competition, the WA Golf Players of the Year are selected each year in early October by the WA Golf Championship Committee, which meets to vote for honorees in the categories of Men’s, Women’s, Senior Men’s, Senior Women’s, Men’s Mid-Amateur, Women’s Mid-Amateur, Junior Boys' and Junior Girls'. The WA Golf Performance Points List is the primary guide for the selection. Since WA Golf does not have a performance points list for juniors, WA Golf receives these nominations for selection from the Washington Junior Golf Association. To view all past WA Golf Players of the Year since 2007, click here.
About Washington Golf
Founded in 1922, WA Golf is a 501c4 non-profit amateur golf association governed by men and women volunteers that has grown into one of the largest golf associations in the United States, providing a multitude of member benefits and services to more than 108,000 golfers, 520 member clubs, and 260 golf facilities throughout Washington and Northern Idaho. WA Golf also serves as the statewide representative of the United States Golf Association and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game. Visit wagolf.org for more information.
