Washington Golf announces 2025 Players of the Year

Max Herendeen (USGA / Chris Keane)

Men’s Player of the Year

Max Herendeen Herendeen has earned this honor for a second consecutive year. During the 2025 season , he advanced to the round of 16 in the U.S. Amateur, defeating the World No. 1 player in doing so. Herendeen also made the round of 16 at the Western Amateur and finished T-10 at the Sunnehanna Amateur. Currently a junior at the University of Illinois, Herendeen also finished T-11 at the NCAA Division I Regionals and T-27 in the NCAA Championship. His back-to-back POY selections follow his honor as the 2022 WA Golf Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.

Grace Lee

Women’s Player of the Year

Grace Lee Lee earned her honor through exceptional play in amateur golf throughout the Northwest. She won the Washington Women’s Amateur in June, and advanced to the round of 16 in the PNGA Women’s Amateur. She also earned a T-13 finish at the LNGA Amateur Championship in July, which is part of the Women’s Elite Amateur Series. Lee is a senior on the Gonzaga University w omen’s team, and in September she won the Kalispel Invitational collegiate event.

Andrew Von Lossow (USGA / Logan Whitton)

Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year

Andrew Von Lossow Von Lossow has been selected for this award in three of the previous four years. He recorded a T-2 finish at the Rosauers Open Invitational and was solo runner-up at the Washington Open. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur through local qualifying. Von Lossow received this same honor last year and also in 2022, a year in which he also was named the WA Golf Men’s Player of the Year.

Taya Battistella

Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year

Taya Battistella Battistella is the Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. She won the BC Women’s Mid-Amateur and Washington Mixed Chapman. She also made the rounds of 32 at both the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and PNGA Women’s Amateur. Other top 5 runs came at the BC Women’s Amateur and Washington Women’s Champion of Champions.

Nate Hair

Senior Men’s Player of the Year

Nate Hair Hair picked up wins at the PNGA Senior Men’s Amateur (his first PNGA win since 2014) and Spokane City Senior Championship. He made the round of 16 at the PNGA Men’s Master-40 Amateur and notched top-10 results at the Washington Senior Men’s Amateur and Senior Washington Open. His 2025 honor marks his first in any eligible category.

Kim Shek

Senior Women’s Player of the Year

Kim Shek Shek has now earned this honor for the fourth consecutive year. In 2025, she won the WSWGA State Championship and scored a runner-up finish in the Washington Senior Women’s Champion of Champions. Nationally, Shek earned medalist honors in her U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifier and made the Round of 16 in that championship proper . Additional top-10 championship results came at the PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur and LNGA Senior Championship.

Taighan Chea (AJGA)

Junior Boys’ Player of the Year

Taighan Chea In 2025, Chea’s accomplishments were on both the local and national stage . In WJGA competition, he won the Eastern Open, State Match Play and District 2 Championship, adding an AJGA title at the Brandon Wu Championship for a national score. He had four additional WJGA top-10 finishes and placed 27th in the Junior Americas Cup. Chea is a junior (2027) at Bothell High School.

Cienna Lee (AJGA)

Junior Girls’ Player of the Year

Cienna Lee Lee’s spring season began well, with a victory in the Washington Women’s Champion of Champions. She followed that triumph with three WJGA wins at the Western Open, Players Open and Joel Dahmen Invitational. She placed third at the Washington State Junior Amateur, and tied for fifth at the Washington State Women’s Amateur . Nationally, she won the AJGA Salt Lake Junior in July and is No. 46 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Lee is a member of the high school class of 2028.