PICTURED - (Top from Left to Right) - Derek Berg, Pamela Burneski, Bob Burton (Bottom from Left to Right) - Ginny Burkey, Zach Wanderscheid, Erynne Lee
Federal Way, Wash. (Monday, October 26, 2009) – The Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) has announced their 2009 Player of the Year recipients. The winners include Derek Berg of Duvall, Wash. who received the Men’s award; Pamela Burneski of Surrey, B.C. received the Women’s award; Bob Burton of Everett, Wash. received the Senior Men’s award; Ginny Burkey of Fircrest, Wash. received the Senior Women’s award; Zach Wanderscheid of Goldendale, Wash. received the Junior Boys’ award; and Erynne Lee of Silverdale, Wash. received her second consecutive Junior Girls’ award.
It was a banner year for Derek Berg, who finished runner-up at both the WSGA Men’s Amateur and the PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Championships. Berg also had impressive top-10 finishes in both the Sahalee Players Championship and the Pacific Coast Amateur. He wrapped up his 2009 season with appearances in two USGA championships – he first represented the WSGA at the USGA State Team Championship in St. Louis, Missouri, leading the team to an 8th place finish; he then finished T3 in stroke play qualifying for the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, making the Round of 32 in match play.
Pamela Burneski, now an 18-year-old freshman on the Indiana University golf team, has been awarded the Women’s Player of the Year honor for her remarkable accomplishments in WSGA Championships. Burneski won the 2009 WSGA Women’s Amateur Champion by besting the field at Oakbrook G&CC in Lakewood, Wash. and also won the WSGA Best-Ball Championship with her partner at Bellingham G&CC in Bellingham, Wash. Burneski’s impressive 2009 also included a semifinal finish at the PNGA Women’s Amateur and a trip to the Round of 64 at the Trans-National Amateur.
Bob Burton’s first year as a WSGA Senior proved to be a great one for the amateur from Everett, Wash. Burton won the PNGA Master-40 Championship and finished runner-up at the Washington Senior Open. Burton also finished in the top-15 at the WSGA Men’s Amateur Championship and among the top-5 at the PNGA Senior Men’s Amateur Championship.
Ginny Burkey made her mark on the 2009 season finishing runner-up at the WSGA Senior Women’s Amateur. Burkey was the PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur qualifying medalist and finished match play as a quarterfinalist. Burkey also won the PNGA Women’s Senior Team Championship for the second year in a row with her partner.
Zach Wanderscheid had a remarkable 2009 summer, starting his season with medalist honors at the U.S. Open Local qualifier held at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. Wanderscheid had an impressive showing at the PNGA Men’s Amateur, also held at The Home Course, making the Round of 32. He finished the season by winning the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship at the University of Idaho Golf Course in Moscow, Idaho.
Now a 16-year-old, Lee had another fantastic season and is very deserving of her second consecutive WSGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year award. Lee made the Round of 16 at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the Round of 32 at the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship. Her AJGA finishes were equally impressive, winning the Kathy Whitworth Invite, finishing 2nd at the Junior at the Traditions, 3rd at the Stockton Junior Classic, and 8th at the PING Invitational. Lee also had a 7th place finish at the Junior PGA Championship.
The WSGA Championship Committee meets annually in early October to vote and select the Players of the Year for the WSGA in the categories of Men’s, Women’s, Senior Men’s, Senior Women’s, Junior Boys', and Junior Girls'. The WSGA Performance Points list is used as the primary guide for the selection. Since the WSGA does not have a performance points list for Juniors, the WSGA receives the nominations for selection from the Washington Junior Golf Association.
The WSGA annually conducts seven state championships and crowns 11 champions, including the WSGA Men’s and Senior Men’s Best-Ball, WSGA Women’s Best-Ball, WSGA Men’s Amateur, WSGA Women’s and Senior Women’s Amateur, WSGA Men’s and Women’s Member Club Team Championship, WSGA Senior and Super Senior Men’s Amateur, WSGA Parent-Child Championship, and coming in 2010 the WSGA Men’s and Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.
