The Washington State Golf Association’s (WSGA) Championship Selection Committee has announced its team to represent the Association at the 13th PNGA Cup, to be held at Seattle Golf Club on May 3-4, 2018.
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, and returns to the famed club for the first time this year.
Men's Mid-Amateur
The Men’s Mid-Amateur selections include Sean Packer of Seattle, who won the 2017 Fort Lewis Amateur, finished T2 in the Seattle City Amateur, and competing against the region’s PGA professionals he finished T11 at the Oregon Open Invitational and T14 at the Rosauers Open Invitational; Reid Hatley of Hayden Lake, Idaho, who had three top-10s in the region’s PGA Section majors, finished second in the PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur, tied for fourth in the Washington State Men’s Mid-Amateur, made it to the Round of 16 in the PNGA Men’s Amateur, was a local qualifying medalist for the U.S. Amateur, and was named the 2017 Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year for the WSGA and PNGA; Mike Haack of Bellevue, who successfully defended his title in winning the 2017 PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur, tied for 17th in Oregon Open Invitational, and tied for 21st in the Washington State Amateur; and Jacob Koppenberg of Bellingham, who won the 2017 Puget Sound Amateur, finished second in the BC Amateur, tied for second in the Bremerton City Amateur, and qualified for the U.S. Amateur. This will be the fourth consecutive PNGA Cup that Hatley and Packer have been selected for, while Haack will be competing in his eighth PNGA Cup. Koppenberg previously was selected for the 2016 PNGA Cup.
Men's Master-40
The Master-40 Men’s selections are Erik Hanson of Kirkland, whose 2017 accomplishments include a victory in the PNGA Men’s Master-40, a fifth-place finish in the PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur, and a tie for fourth in the Senior Oregon Open; and Paul Houvener of Mill Creek, who finished runner-up to Hanson in the Master-40, second in the Washington State Senior Amateur, and tied for sixth in the Golfweek Senior Amateur. This is the 10th PNGA Cup for which Hanson has been selected.
Senior Men's
Representing the team in the Senior Men’s category are Tom Brandes of Bellevue, whose three titles in 2017 include the PNGA Senior Men’s Amateur, Washington State Senior Men’s Champion of Champions, and Senior Washington Open, and he also tied for fourth in the Washington State Senior Amateur, while being selected Senior Men’s Player of the Year for both the WSGA and PNGA; and Jim McNelis of Gig Harbor, who won the 2017 Washington State Senior Men’s Amateur and was a local qualifying medalist for the U.S. Senior Amateur. Brandes has been selected to compete in every PNGA Cup since its inception in 2006.
Women's Mid-Amateur
In the Women’s Mid-Amateur division, selections include Shawn Farmer of Renton, who finished second in the 2017 Washington State Women’s Mid-Amateur, was a quarterfinalist in the PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur; and Victoria Fallgren of Spokane, who won the 2017 Washington State Women’s Mid-Amateur, and made it to the Round of 64 in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, on her way to being selected as the 2017 WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. This is Farmer’s fourth PNGA Cup.
Senior Women's
The Senior Women’s team includes Leslie Folsom of Tukwila, whose year included a title at the 2017 SWGA Amateur, and top-4 finishes in the PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur, WSWGA State Championship, WSWGA Senior Championship and Washington State Women’s Mid-Amateur; and Yasue Alkins of Steilacoom, who won the 2017 Washington State Senior Women’s Amateur and the WSWPLA Championship, and finished eighth in the PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur, on her way to being named the 2017 WSGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year.
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 13th 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 over 69,000 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.
