Washington State Golf Association Selects Team for 14th Annual PNGA Cup

The Washington State Golf Association’s (WSGA) Championship Selection Committee has announced its team to represent the Association at the 14th PNGA Cup, to be held at the Crosswater Club in Sunriver, Ore. on May 1-2, 2019.

The WSGA has previously won the PNGA Cup in 2008 and 2015. The PNGA Cup was first held in 2006, with the inaugural event held at Seattle Golf Club.

Kevin Beavers (left) and Mike Haack
Kevin Beavers (left) and Mike Haack

The Men’s Mid-Amateur selections include Kevin Beavers of Seattle, who tied for second in last year’s WSGA Champion of Champions; Reid Hatley of Hayden Lake, Idaho, who won the 2018 PNGA and WSGA Mid-Amateur championships, finish third in the Washington State Amateur, and tied for sixth in the Mexican Amateur, on his way to being named the WSGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive year; Mike Haack of Bellevue, who had top-10 finishes in the WSGA Champion of Champions, Washington State Amateur, and Washington Open; and Jacob Koppenberg of Bellingham, who was medalist in a U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur sectional qualifier, won the 2018 Puget Sound Amateur, and a quarterfinalist in the PNGA Men’s Amateur. This will be the fifth consecutive PNGA Cup that Hatley has been selected for, while Haack will be competing in his ninth PNGA Cup. Koppenberg was previously selected for the 2016 and 2018 PNGA Cups.

Erik Hanson (left) and Tom Brandes
Erik Hanson (left) and Tom Brandes

The Master-40 Men’s selections are Erik Hanson of Kirkland, whose 2018 accomplishments include top-10 finishes in the Oregon Senior Open and Washington Senior Open, and a second-place finish in the PNGA Mid-Amateur; and Tom Brandes, who won both the PNGA and WSGA Senior Men’s Amateurs in 2018, and was named the WSGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year. This is the 11th PNGA Cup for which Hanson has been selected, and the 13th time for Brandes.

Alex Stamey (left) and Jim McNelis
Alex Stamey (left) and Jim McNelis

Representing the team in the Senior Men’s category are Alex Stamey of Mill Creek, who had top-10 finishes in both the WSGA Mid-Amateur and Senior Amateur championships; and Jim McNelis of Gig Harbor, who finished second in three championships in 2018, the WSGA Senior Amateur, WSGA Champion of Champions, and PNGA Senior Amateur.

Victoria Fallgren (left) and Tina Papatolis
Victoria Fallgren (left) and Tina Papatolis

In the Women’s Mid-Amateur division, selections include Victoria Fallgren of Spokane, won the 2018 WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur and finished second in the WSGA Women’s Champion of Champions, on her way to being selected as the 2018 WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year; and Tina Papatolis of Issaquah, who won the 2018 WSWPLA and GSWPGA championships, finished second in last year’s WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur, and qualified for the 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. Fallgren is the assistant women’s golf coach at Gonzaga University, and earlier this week won the 2019 WSGA Women’s Champion of Champions.

Leslie Folsom (left) and Karen Johnson
Leslie Folsom (left) and Karen Johnson

The Senior Women’s team includes Leslie Folsom of Tukwila, whose year included victories in the WSGA Senior Women’s Amateur, WSGA Senior Women’s Champion of Champions, and the WSWGA Senior Championship; and Karen Johnson of Auburn, who had top-5 finishes in the WSGA and PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur championships.

For a complete list of WSGA player accomplishments, click here.

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 players competing in the 14th PNGA Cup, please click here. Visit thepnga.org for information.

Founded in 1922, the WSGA is a 501c4 non-profit, amateur golf association governed by men and women volunteers. Serving nearly 70,000 individual members at more than 550 member golf clubs and 270 golf courses throughout the state of Washington and Northern Idaho, the WSGA works to continually expand the game of golf to people of all backgrounds, and is dedicated to enriching the lives of people in Washington and Northern Idaho through the many social, recreational, and lifetime benefits of the game of golf. The WSGA also serves as a statewide representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and works closely with a number of allied associations within the golf industry for the betterment of the game.