The Washington State Golf Association’s (WSGA) Championship Selection Committee has announced its team to represent the Association at the 12th PNGA Cup, to be held at TimberStone Golf Course in Caldwell, Idaho on May 3-5, 2017.
The WSGA has previously won the PNGA Cup in 2008 and 2015.
The Men’s Mid-Amateur selections include Sean Packer of Seattle, who was a runner-up at the 2016 Tacoma City Amateur and Bellevue City Amateur as well as the PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur, and tied for seventh in the WSGA Men’s Mid-Amateur; Reid Hatley of Hayden Lake, Idaho, who won the 2016 WSGA Men’s Mid-Amateur, qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur, finished in the top-10 at the Rosauers Invitational, and was named the 2016 Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year for the WSGA and PNGA; Mike Haack of Bellevue, who won the 2016 PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur, tied for ninth in the Washington Open and tied for 13th in the Oregon Open; and Kevin Beavers of Seattle, who made it to the Round of 32 in the U.S. Mid-Amateur and tied for second in the Royal Oaks Invitational. This will be the third consecutive PNGA Cup that Hatley and Packer have been selected for, while Haack will be competing in his seventh PNGA Cup. This is the first PNGA Cup for Beavers.
The Master-40 Men’s selections are Erik Hanson of Kirkland, whose 2016 accomplishments included a second-place finish in the Washington Open, being a semifinalist in the PNGA Master-40, finishing third in the WSGA Men’s Mid-Amateur, and being named the WSGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year; and Dana Christianson of Tacoma, who won the PNGA Master-40 Amateur. This is the ninth PNGA Cup for which Hanson has been selected.
Representing the team in the Senior Men’s category are Tom Brandes of Bellevue, whose two titles in 2016 include the PNGA Senior Men’s Amateur and WSGA Senior Men’s Champion of Champions, to go along with a tie for third in the Senior Washington Open and qualifying for the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur; and Luke Wilson of Tacoma, who tied for second in the PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur and finished 15th in the WSGA Men’s Mid-Amateur. Brandes has been selected to compete in every PNGA Cup since its inception in 2006.
In the Women’s Mid-Amateur division, selections include Leslie Folsom of Tukwila, whose year included a title at the 2016 SWGA Amateur, being a semifinalist in the WSWGA Amateur, and tying for second in the WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur; and Shawn Farmer of Renton, who finished runner-up in the PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur and tied for second in the WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur, and was selected as the 2016 WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. For Folsom, this will be the 11th PNGA Cup she will have competed in (missing only last year’s event), while this is Farmer’s third selection.
The Senior Women’s team includes Karen Madison of East Wenatchee, with victories in the WSGA Super Senior Women’s Amateur and WSWPLA Championship, a third place finish in the PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur, and also qualifying for the 2016 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; while Kathy Provazek-Ross of Mercer Island had a second place finish in the WSGA Senior Women’s Amateur and TWGA Championship, and was a semifinalist in the SWGA Amateur. This is the second consecutive selection for Madison.
For a complete list of WSGA player accomplishments, click here.
Bring on the #PNGACup! Team WSGA is ready to bring home the 🏆#GolfForEveryone ⛳️ https://t.co/L8KaYu53Vr
— WSGA (@theWSGA) April 7, 2017
The PNGA Cup was created in 2006 by past PNGA President Dr. Jack Lamey as a way of continuing the friendship and partnership of the region’s allied associations under the PNGA umbrella – British Columbia Golf, Idaho Golf Association, Oregon Golf Association and Washington State Golf Association. The annual competition consists of 48 of the finest amateur golfers in the region. Each association will send a 12-person team consisting of eight men and four women. The representation includes four mid-amateur men of 25 years of age or older, two men of 40 years or older, two senior men of 55 years or older, two mid-amateur women of 25 years or older and two senior women of 50 years or older.
The Ryder Cup-style format includes four-ball and foursome matches the first day and singles matches on the second and final day. With three matches for each player, the championship allows each competitor to compete against players from each of the other associations. With both men’s and women’s scores used to determine the team result, it is the only known event of its kind in the U.S.
For a complete roster of all players competing in the 12th PNGA Cup, please click here. For more information about the PNGA Cup, please click here.