Washington Golf announces 2024 Players of the Year

Tacoma, Wash. – Washington Golf (WA Golf) has announced the Player of the Year award recipients for 2024. The category winners are as follows: Men’s, Max Herendeen of Bellevue; Women’s, Angela Zhang of Bellevue; Men’s Mid-Amateur, Andrew Von Lossow of Spokane; Women’s Mid-Amateur, Taya Battistella of Bellingham; Senior Men’s, Tom Brandes of Bellevue; Senior Women’s, Kim Shek of Bellevue; Junior Boys’, Theodore Snyder of Gig Harbor; and Junior Girls’, Niuniu Zhao of Woodinville.

The recipients will be honored at the 103rd WA Golf Annual Meeting, held on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at Allenmore Golf Course in Tacoma, Wash.

View a full list of playing accomplishments for the 2024 WA Golf Players of the Year.


Max Herendeen, 2024 Men's Player of the Year

Men’s Player of the Year

Max Herendeen

During the 2024 golf season, Herendeen played his best in the nation’s highest profile amateur championships. He had top-5 finishes in the Sunnehanna Amateur and Washington Men’s Amateur, made the round of 16 at the Western Amateur, tied for 18th at the Pacific Coast Amateur, and participated in the U.S. Amateur. Now a sophomore at the University of Illinois, Herendeen won the NCAA Division I Regionals and went on to finish tied for second in the NCAA Championship. He was named the Big 10 Freshman of the Year. In 2022, Herendeen had been named the WA Golf Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.

Angela Zhang, 2024 Women's Player of the Year

Women’s Player of the Year

Angela Zhang

Still just 15 years old, Zhang has been named the Women’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. In 2024, she had top-5 finishes in the Dixie Amateur, Washington Women’s Amateur, Citrus Golf Trail Ladies Invitational, and the Washington Women’s Champion of Champions. She played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the CPKC Women’s Open, and was named to the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team. Zhang had been named the WA Golf Junior Girls’ Player of the Year in 2022, and last year was named the Women’s and Junior Girls’ Player of the Year.

Andrew Von Lossow, 2024 Men's Mid-Amateur Player of the Year

Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year

Andrew Von Lossow

Among his accomplishments in 2024, Von Lossow made the round 32 at the PNGA Men’s Amateur and the round of 64 at the U.S. Mid-Amateur. He also took second place in the Spokane City Championship. Competing against the region’s PGA professionals, Von Lossow had top-20 finishes in the Washington Open, Northwest Open, and Oregon Open, and then broke through in winning the Rosauers Open Invitational. In 2022, Von Lossow had been named the WA Golf Men’s and Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year.

Taya Battistella, 2024 Women's Mid-Amateur Player of the Year

Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year

Taya Battistella

Battistella won the 2024 Washington Women’s Mid-Amateur and took fourth place in the Oregon Women’s Mid-Amateur. She tied for second at the Northwest Women’s Open. On the national stage, Battistella made the round of 64 at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and tied for fourth in the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur.

Tom Brandes, 2024 Senior Men's Player of the Year

Senior Men’s Player of the Year

Tom Brandes

This is now the 13th time that Brandes has earned the Senior Men’s Player of the Year honor. The Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famer won the Washington Senior Men’s Champion of Champions for the fourth consecutive year, and eighth senior title overall. He finished second in the Washington Senior Men’s Amateur, and tied for 10th in the PNGA Senior Men’s Amateur. He also qualified for the U.S. Senior Men’s Amateur.

Kim Shek, 2024 Senior Women's Player of the Year

Senior Women’s Player of the Year

Kim Shek

Shek has now earned this honor for the third year in a row. She won the Washington Senior Women’s Amateur, and finished second in the PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur. She was a quarterfinalist in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, and qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open.

Theodore Snyder, 2024 Junior Boys' Player of the Year

Junior Boys’ Player of the Year

Theodore Snyder

In 2024, Snyder was a quarterfinalist in the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur. He had three top-10s in WJGA tournaments, and capped his year by winning the WJGA State Junior Championship. He also finished third in the WIAA High School 3A State Championship, and tied for third in the WJGA Junior World Qualifier.

Niuniu Zhao, 2024 Junior Girls' Player of the Year

Junior Girls’ Player of the Year

Niuniu Zhao

Zhao won two WJGA titles in 2024, and also won the Notah Begay Washington Regional. She was a semifinalist in the PNGA Women’s Amateur, won medalist honors in the North Pacific Junior Ladies, finished second in the Washington Women’s Amateur, and tied for third in the Washington Women’s Champion of Champions.


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 as 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.