History
Joan Teats WJGA Founder
Early in fall of 1976, Ron Hoetmer, Virginia (Mrs. Cal) Scarff, Randy Puetz, and Joan Teats came up with a plan for a junior golf program in the State of Washington. Oregon had one, so why not Washington? At that time the San Diego Junior Golf Association was going well, so we copied some of its ideas, making some changes to suit the geography of our state. The high school district boundaries were used as guidelines with the help of Jim Sulenes, the Curtis High School golf coach. Before too long, our plan began to take wings!
And then there were 10!
With the help and support of Al Jones, the executive director of the PNGA, a second meeting was held later in the fall of 1976 at Yakima Country Club. Al contacted interested directors of the WSGA from around the state. Chuck Draper, Seattle; Irv Corp, Spokane; Dale Williams, Yakima; Bill Howard, Seattle; and Jim Paul, Aberdeen along with Yakima CC representatives Les Moe, the head pro, and George Price, Sr., a member. Bea Williams of Tacoma, a well-known golf historian and journalist, attended this historic 1976 meeting, along with Joan Teats and Virginia Scarff.
At the meeting, Joan and Virginia presented the plan. Discussion and questions followed, and Chuck Draper of the WSGA made the deciding motion that WSGA would give support statewide. That kicked it off. Bea Williams was appointed to write the by-laws. The meeting was adjourned and we left in search of a logo and Yakima CC volunteered to play host to the first state championship in July l977.
Upon returning to Tacoma, Joan solicited help from Lowell Egman, a commercial artist from Fircrest Golf Club, to design the logo.
And then there were many more …
Junior golfers were called to meet at the home of Virginia Scarff in Federal Way. The tournament schedule was developed and the juniors present discussed and voted on the birth date deadline. Fred Couples summarized with “What’s wrong with June l?” and that settled it.
The following were selected as the first WJGA district directors: District One: Henry Kuhl, Ballinger; Jim Skaagstad, Port Townsend; Annette Herber, Everett. District Two: Randy Puetz, from Tyee Valley; Bill Howard, Seattle; District Three: Jim Paul, Aberdeen; George Lanning, Oakbrook in Tacoma; Virginia Scarff, Twin Lakes; Joan Teats, Fircrest. District Four: Les Moe, Yakima; Betty Compton, Richland; Bill Boggess, Yakima. District Five: Patsy Mounsey, Manito in Spokane; Steve Prugh, Manito; Paul Hastings, Manito.
With very little money, that first tournament season in l977 experienced some “growing pains”. For example, our newly elected President, Jim Paul, was helping at the first sub-district tournament at Riverside GC in Chehalis. As he was taking tournament entry fees, the line grew longer and longer with kids waiting to pay and play. After that day, we set up a new rule – tournaments will be paid for in advance and no cash will be accepted at the event site.
At that first sub-district, Jim brought hand-painted signs with him created by a woman in his office. We used these homemade signs for more than five years!
At the state championship at Yakima, score sheets were made on butcher paper. The final round was very windy; and the score sheets ripped and blew down the fairway. Tragedy! No more butcher paper was used after that.
Also, at the state championship in Yakima, walking scorers were overlooked. We had to recruit parents at the last minute. Another new rule was put into effect – we must have walking scorers, and that became an important part of junior golf.
There were 585 members in WJGA who paid a $2 membership fee.
The office was set up in Joan’s home. Two bedrooms were consigned to junior golf and many work parties were held at the kitchen table. Outfitted with a used desk and table from the Boeing surplus second-hand store, and Joan’s IBM electric typewriter friends came in, sorted and stuffed envelopes, mailed membership forms, and Joan made coffee. Expenses were kept to a minimum. Postage was a major expense even though we used very little first class mail.
Trophies and medals were selected from Monte Holmes, Jr. at Athletic Supply in Seattle. He was a great help, as we relied upon his experience and expertise.
The first State Championship was set up for the 10 best boys to play 36 holes in the final round. Rick Fehr made the cut, the only l4-year-old, shooting 75-74-73, then 83 in the final 18 holes. Fred Couples won shooting 67-73-72-80 (292). Yakima CC member Dr. Dick Twiss was the tournament chairman, and Denny Colvin, another member, was his assistant.
Otto Mengert, Spokane CC, dedicated a trophy in his son’s name, Al Mengert, a golf pro, to be awarded to the most Inspirational Junior Golfer. Al Mengert was U.S. Junior Champion in l946-47, Washington State Amateur champion in l949-50 and was a top-ranked amateur in the U.S. in l952. Otto Mengert hoped this trophy would be an inspiration to our young golfers. Rick Fehr had the honor of being the first winner.
· Hogan Cup team finished in first place. Jeff Tachell, medalist, 79-7l (l50); Chris Isaacson 79-75 (l54); Paul Colleran 77-77 (l54); Mark Sivara 84-79 (l63); and George Price Jr. 90-8l (l7l)
· The Junior Americas Cup boys team placed sixth in Mexico City with Jim Paul, Captain. Team members were Storm Gleim, Fred Couples, Chris Isaacson, and Jeff Tachell.
There were 660 junior members in WJGA who paid a membership fee of $2. The second annual State Championship was hosted by District Three and held in Tacoma. George Price Jr., of Yakima, won the Al Mengert Inspirational Award.
WJGA was especially proud that year when the 1977 boys Hogan Cup and Junior Americas Cup members Paul Colleran (University of Oregon), Fred Couples (Houston), Storm Gleim (Weber State), Chris Isaacson (Columbia Basin) and Jeff Tachell (Arkansas) all planned to attend college.
· Our four-man Junior Americas Cup team placed third at Sun Valley, Idaho, with a total score of 680. Members were Mark Sivara, Tacoma; Brian Mogg, Tacoma; John Bodenhamer, Tacoma; and Rick Fehr, Seattle. The team had to stand in the hot sun for an extremely long time waiting for the award ceremony. Rick fainted, fell face forward, and broke his nose. Tough way to end!
· The inaugural girls Junior Americas Cup team matches were held at Tumwater Valley. Our girls placed sixth in a field of eleven teams with a 742. Northern California won, shooting 696. Washington team members were Lisa Smith, Tacoma; Kelli Antolock, Port Angeles; Teresa Schreck, Yakima; Tari Pharr, Seattle. The founding teams and, therefore charter members, of the girls’ Americas Cup were Northern California 696, San Diego 706, British Columbia 725, Southern California 726, Arizona 737, Washington 742, Oregon 745, Southern Nevada 769, Idaho 801, Alberta 807, Northern Nevada 837.
· The Washington team again won the Hogan Cup with a score of 600. Team members were Mark Sivara, Tacoma; Dave Cuthill, Everett; Brian Mogg, Tacoma; John Bodenhamer, Tacoma; and Rick Fehr, Seattle.
What was more significant was that Washington was establishing itself as an up-and-coming power in junior golf. The Hogan Cup and Junior Americas Cup teams placed well, and the highlight of the year was when Rick Fehr, our l979 state champion, captured the PGA National Junior Championship in Pine Mountain, Ga. This victory earned Rick a spot on the Junior All-American squad and enabled him to represent the U.S. in the PGA Junior Cup matches held in Caracas, Venezuela.
All–American honors were also awarded, on a collegiate level, to l977 WJGA State Champion, Fred Couples. Fred earned this honor on the basis of an outstanding year. One that included being the low amateur at the U.S. Open, making it to the final 16 in the U.S. Amateur, and winning a share of the Southwest Conference Medalist Title.
The third State Championship was hosted by District Five in Spokane. The first hole-in-one at a WJGA state championship was made by Robi Raab, age 17, from Yakima. He achieved this on the 16th hole at Manito G&CC, a 191-yard, par-3.
· Our five-man Washington team placed fourth at the Hogan Cup in Portland.
· Our four-man team finished two strokes out of first place in the Junior Americas Cup held at Capilano Golf Club Vancouver, B.C. The team members were Scott Geroux, Capitol City, 72-73-75 (220); Mark Visintainer, Spokane, 71-80-71 (222); Todd Erwin, Tacoma, 78-73-79 (230); and Kirk Triplett, Pullman, 79-77-77 (233)
· In the girls Junior Americas Cup, held for the second year at Tumwater Valley, the Washington team finished in sixth place. The team members were Kelli Antolock, Port Angeles, 75-76-76 (227); Teresa Schreck, Spokane, 80-76-76 (232); Kerry Liedes, Aberdeen, 84-83-91 (258); and Laura Williams, Tri Cities, 86-86-89 (263). A team from Mexico played in the tournament for the first time. The Mexican girls were thrilled by the rain and were taking pictures of it out on the course. What a kick!
The fourth State Championship was hosted by District 2, with Fairwood G&CC in Renton, the host club. Meridian Valley G&CC and Maplewood GC assisted Fairwood. The Al Mengert Inspirational Award went to Teresa Schreck of Spokane. Also that year, the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) sent a formal request for funds to support us to 193 of their member clubs.
· Hogan Cup team members were; Mark Wurtz, Mike Barnett, Brian Flannigan, Scott Geroux, and Radd Lukas.
· The third annual girls Junior Americas’ Cup was conducted by the Junior Golf Association of Northern California at Elkhorn Golf & Country Club in Stockton. Washington placed fourth with team members Teresa Schreck 76-81-80 (237); Kerry Liedes 84-84-75 (243); Jane Harris 85-86-86 (257); and Trish McGonigle 90-89-88 (267).
The fifth State Championship was held in Everett, and was one of the most closely contested tournaments in our history with four divisions being decided by a single stroke. Julie Ralls became our first state champion to come out of the 12- to 14-year-old ranks, stunning the field with rounds of 78-79-82 (239).
Julie, of Woodinville and a junior member at Sahalee Country Club, won the Al Mengert Inspirational Award. Not only did she win the state title while playing in the 12-14 division, she did so with an attitude and competitive spirit that should lead her to an outstanding career in golf. She has been an inspiration to her friends and her continued improvement has been fun to watch.
The points system changed, with more tournaments added to the list where juniors can earn points toward team selection. The three statewide qualifying events for the U.S. Golf Association, the PGA, Junior World (Optimist), plus the high school Class AAA and AA championships were added to the list. The tabulation of points now runs from the high school championships in May to the final day of the WJGA state championship.
· The boys Junior Americas Cup team finished in ninth place at Flagstaff, Ariz. Members were Mike Coombs, Everett, 77-78-74 (229), Scott Roy, Kent, 77-79-74 (230), Ted Davis, Bainbridge Island, 84-86-77 (247), and Eric Gifford, Walla Walla, 83-85-85 (253).
· The girls Junior Americas Cup team had its best performance, capturing fourth place at City of Industry, Calif. Team members were Kerry Liedes, Hoquiam, 85-74-79 (238), Jane Harris, Seattle, 86-81-79 (246), Julie Ralls, Woodinville, 88-88-88 (264), Michele Taylor, Allyn, 86-93-86 (265).
· Hogan Cup team members were Tim Lyon 78-76 (154), Ted Davis 79-79 (158), Mike Coombs 75-84 (159), Eric Gifford 75-84 (159), Scott Roy 81-81 (162). Washington placed fourth overall.
Also in 1982, the Puetz family offered a memorial award to honor George Puetz, a long time sponsor and supporter of junior golf. It is awarded to a boy and girl following the Junior Americas Cup Team Matches. Winners are selected by blind ballot of the team members.
On the golf courses in 1982, younger players provided the biggest highlights. To begin with, Don Christensen collected a fourth state title, grabbing his second crown in the 12-14 division to go with his two in the 11-and-under group. Don didn’t believe in doing it the easy way, either. Two of his victories came via a three-man playoff and he also had a second-place finish at state to his credit as a result of a playoff defeat.
Also, 15-year-old, Jim Strickland, pulled a bit of an upset by capturing the sixth WJGA State Championship, which was being hosted by District Four in the Tri-Cities. In doing so, he became the youngest boys state champion in the history of WJGA. The victory landed him a spot on Washington’s Junior Americas Cup and Hogan Cup teams and also earned him a round of golf in an exhibition with Arnold Palmer. Arnold just happened to be in Richland right after our State tournament, so the committee decided on the spur of the moment to include our Champion. What a treat!
Not limiting this youth movement to the male gender, the girls State Championship was claimed by another 15-year-old, Michele Taylor of Allyn. Michele later teamed up with 15-year-old Julie Ralls of Woodinville, the 1982 state champ, 16-year-old Trish McGonigle of Spokane, and 16-year-old Paula Gamble of Kent, in the girls Junior Americas Cup. In the final round of play, the Washington girls put together the lowest round in GJAC tournament history 76-74-73 (223). For the tournament, Washington placed fourth in the very competitive field of 14 teams held in Colorado Springs at the Air Force Academy GC.
Julie Ralls also represented the Northwest at the PGA National Junior Championship in West Palm Beach, Fla., at PGA National Haig Course. Julie finished tied for sixth with a 92-79-74-74 (314). Competing in the boys tournament was Jeff Jackson of Olympia. Jeff finished in a tie for 17th with 81-80-76-76 (312). The tournament winners were Billy Mayfair (292) and Heather Farr (287), both of Phoenix.
· The Junior Americas Cup boys team included Mark Wurtz, Port Ludlow, 76-72-75 (223), Scott Roy, Kent, 78-71-76 (225), Jim Strickland, Bothell, 79-78-74 (231), and Jerry Sneve, Oroville, 75-80-77 (232). The team finished fourth at the Air Force Academy GC in Colorado Springs, CO., with Bill Meyer acting as the team Captain.
· The Hogan Cup team members were Jim Strickland, Ted Himka, Mark Wurtz, Jerry Sneve, and Jeff Jackson.
· Tom Klutz of Seattle and Kristin Erickson of Spokane won trips to San
Diego for the Optimist Junior World tournament.
The membership fee was $5, with an increase to $7.50 after May 20th. Tournament fees were $6.50 if postmarked by June 4, $7.50 after that date.
A booster club was formed, spearheaded by Gary Floan, of Manito G&CC in Spokane and Emil Bulyca, of Sahalee CC in Redmond, for those who were interested in seeing junior golf prosper in Washington. The Western Washington coordinator was Malia Folquet of Port Ludlow. There were five different membership categories: Sponsor $250 – $5,000; Patron $100 – $249; Regular $50 – $99; Associate $25 – $49; Club $l / member for year.
Washington played host to the prestigious Junior Americas Cup team matches at Sahalee Country Club in truly grand style. Seventeen teams represented different western associations, including teams from Mexico, Hawaii, British Columbia and Alberta. The “Golfing Gorilla” gave a long-drive performance to the very interested contestants. The Washington team included Ted Himka, Kent, 83-71-76 (230) Don Christensen, Everett, 77-80-80 (237) Jim Strickland, Bothell, 79-85-86 (250), and Croy Cochran, Kent, 81-80-90 (251). Northern California won with a score of 688 and Washington finished eighth.
The girls Junior Americas Cup was played in Las Vegas, Nev., in intense heat. Washington led through the first two rounds, but unfortunately wilted and became sick in the final round. The team had to settle for a third-place finish, four strokes out of first. Interestingly enough, up until this year, the lowest winning score had been 686. This time, Southern California finished at 676 to take first, with Northern California second at 677 and Washington third at 680. Representing Washington were Julie Ralls, Redmond, 74-71-80 (225), Michele Taylor, Allyn, 77-74-75 (226), Paula Gamble, Kent, 78-78-79 (235) and Trish McGonigle, Spokane, 78-84-79 (236).
Julie Ralls placed 10th at the PGA Junior National Championships with 86-84-76-75 (321) and Croy Cochran took 16th place with a 79-81-77-79 (316). At 6,970 yards, the tournament was held on a course that was playing the PGA National in West Palm Beach, Fla., preparing to hold the Walker Cup matches.
Rick Fehr was selected to play in the Walker Cup matches which pit the top amateurs from the U.S. against the finest players from Great Britain and Ireland in a match-play competition. This biennial event, established in 1922, took place in Hoylake, England, at Royal Liverpool GC. Rick was instrumental in leading the Americans to a narrow and hard-earned victory.
Don Christensen, of Everett, played at the Optimist Junior World at Torrey Pines in San Diego and finished a strong third with a 293 total for 72 holes. Don also won the Al Mengert Inspirational Award this year.
Kelli Antolock, the 1978-state champion who was at this time a senior at Brigham Young, won the 1983 USGA Women’s Public Links Championship in Hawaii.
The seventh State Championship, with its new format of all division playing 54 holes, was hosted by District Three with Fircrest GC the host course and Oakbrook G&CC and North Shore GC assisting. Also, the awards ceremony was held in the early afternoon of the final round so everyone could get started for home at a reasonable hour. However, for the first time in the seven-year history of the state championships, the overall state title came down to a sudden-death playoff between Croy Cochran of Kent and Brad Harper of Spokane. Croy won with a birdie on the first extra hole.
Trish McGonigle of Spokane, capped an incredible WJGA career by winning the overall state title in 1983. She has been a steady fixture with WJGA since its inception in 1977. Her notable accomplishments include winning the very first 11-and-under state title in 1977, five district titles, two 12-14 state titles (1979-1980), the 1982 Al Mengert Inspirational Award, being on three Junior Americas Cup teams, and then concluding with the 1983 overall state title.
· Hogan Cup teams members were Jim Strickland, Greg Patterson, Ted Himka, Croy Cochran and Don Christensen. This was by far our wettest Hogan Cup. The last round was played in torrential rain, but we played!
The WJGA received financial support from 59 PNGA member clubs and the association received a significant contribution from the PGNA, as well as contributions from four other clubs that were contributing directly to the WSGA.
Julie Ralls topped off her junior career by winning the state championship for the second time. She had three superb rounds totaling 219, 1-under par, which was a tournament record by eight strokes. She later was awarded the first Juli Inkster Golf Scholarship at San Jose State University.
District Five was the host district for the eighth State Championship with Spokane CC the host club and Manito G&CC and Hangman Valley GC assisting. The juniors were on their typical best behavior, or so indicated the chairman of rules and marshals at Spokane CC, when he said, “I have no criticism, nor did I hear any during the tournament. Our Spokane CC members were most complimentary of the juniors deportment, appearance, and ability, and the way the young people took care of the golf course.”
An example of that came in a letter to the WJGA from Jim Strickland of Mill Creek. “In all of my years in junior golf and WJGA,” Strickland wrote, “I have grown from being a hot-tempered little kid to a more mature respectful golfer, and I owe a lot of that credit to WJGA. I knew that if I was going to play good golf I must also have a good attitude.”
Not surprisingly, Jim won the Al Mengert Inspirational Award the same year.
The U.S. Junior Girls national championship was held in Washington State at Mill Creek Country Club. Ten girls from WJGA were able to take advantage of this marvelous opportunity. There were 131 girls competing for a spot in the championship flight of 64 on the 5,925-yard, par-72 Mill Creek course. Julie Ralls, Michele Taylor and Michelle Wooding qualified for match play. The other WJGA girls had a wonderful experience and most spent the rest of the week watching some fantastic golf. They were Mary Sneve, Oroville; Deanne Massie, Spokane; Kari Ruff, Toppenish; Jill Kirihara, Bellevue; Audrey Wooding, Tacoma; Stephanie Davis, Bainbridge and Ashley Patterson, Yakima.
A junior clinic was part of the Everett Open over Labor Day weekend. More than 700 potential junior golfers watched a clinic by Dave Stockton of the PGA Tour. Dave’s summary: When you’re out on the golf course, some days you have great shots but bad bounces, and other times you have bad shots but good bounces. If you want to be a champion, you have to learn that that’s the sport of golf.
· The boys Junior Americas Cup was played at Edgewood Tahoe and Washington tied for second with Northern California at 707. This was the best finish for Washington since winning in 1980 in Hawaii. Representing Washington were Jim Strickland, Mill Creek, 76-77-75 (228) Don Christensen, Everett, 79-80-79 (238) Scott Sullivan, Lewiston, Idaho, 80-81-80 (241) and Jeff Strickland, 91-86-91 (268), with Joan Teats serving as team captain.
· The girls Junior Americas Cup was held at Crane Creek CC in Boise, Idaho, and the Washington team took third place. Representing Washington were Michelle Wooding, Tacoma, 79-83-78 (240), Julie Ralls, Woodinville, 77-76-78 (231), Michele Taylor, Bellevue, 79-79-85 (243), and Deanne Massey, Spokane, 84-93-77 (254).
· The Hogan Cup team members were Jeff Strickland, Brian Hepler, Matt Mariani, Scott Sullivan and Don Christensen, with Merrill Teats serving as team captain.
· Washington had both winners at the Northwest Sectional Qualifying for the PGA National Junior Championships. Michelle Wooding of Tacoma won among 14 girls from Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia, and Jim Strickland of Mill Creek won among 48 boys.
· The Optimist Junior World qualifying was held at Port Ludlow and Julie Ralls won among eight girls with a 76-79 (155) and Don Christensen beat out 18 other boys to win a return trip to San Diego with a 70-71 (141). There were 42 states and 25 countries in attendance at the international event for junior golfers at Torrey Pines, including WJGA golfers Bryan Hepler of Wenatchee, Scott Sullivan, Lewiston, Idaho, and Denny Ruthroff of Renton.
Washington placed sixth out of a record entry of 17 teams at the girls Junior Americas Cup at Larchmont GC in Missoula, Mont. The Washington team included Stephanie Davis, Bainbridge, 81-77-82 (240); Kari Ruff, Toppenish, 85-79-82 (246); Audrey Wooding, Tacoma, 89-78-83 (250), and Sherri Waggoner, Spokane, 85-85-82 (252) with Harriet Dawson the team captain.
The ninth annual State Championship had Sahalee CC as the host club, with assistance from Bear Creek CC and Snoqualmie Falls GC. Portable leaderboards were purchased and used at state championships.
Memorial contributions were raised by Sand Point Country Club members in memory of Sean Lynch, a WJGA member from Sand Point.
· Hogan Cup team members were Scott Sullivan 76-72 (148); Patrick Brownfield 78-77 (155); Jim Geiser 79-78 (157); Sean Hall 79-81 (160); Warren Vickers 81-83 (164). Washington placed fifth in field of eight teams with Merrill and Joan Teats serving as co-captains.
· The Northwest qualifying for the PGA National Junior Championships was held at North Shore GC with a record field of 87 boys and 12 girls from Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia, with United Van Lines sponsoring for the second year. The winners were from WJGA with Stephanie Davis, Bainbridge, 79-82 (161) beating Tamara Willis, Bremerton, 83-78 (161) in a playoff among the girls. Among the boys, Don Christensen, Everett, was the only player to break 70 with his 68-73 (141).
· Qualifying for the Optimist Junior World was again held at the difficult Port Ludlow layout. Twenty-five boys and 10 girls were playing for the all-expenses paid trip to San Diego. The winners were Christi Clark of Bellevue with scores of 87-77 (164) and Brian Crider of Renton at 77-73 (150). Also representing the state were Patrick Brownfield, Tacoma; Jim Geiser, Snohomish; Paul Hogben, Woodinville; Sheri Waggoner, Spokane and Tamara Willis, Bremerton.
· The state was divided into two areas for qualifying for the USGA Junior Amateur. Western Washington had 53 entries chasing four spots, and Eastern Washington had 19 entries after one spot. That gave Washington five entries to the national championship, its largest total ever. Scott Sullivan, Lewiston, Idaho, shot 5-under par 68-71 (139) to lead the way. He was followed by Jim Geiser, Snohomish, 75-67 (142); Sean Hall, Everett, 69-75 (144); Mike Seek, Everett, 74-71 (145), and Patrick Brownfield, Tacoma 76-70 (146). Jim, Patrick and Mike made it to the match play round of 64. Mike lost his first match and Patrick and Jim lost in the second round in what was a good showing by the Washington juniors.
Sullivan also made history at the 10th annual State Championship, which was held in District One in Bellingham under the very capable leadership of Jack Schmitz, the tournament director. Scott, of Lewiston, Idaho, was the first boy to win the state championship two consecutive years. He finished one stroke ahead of Patrick Brownfield. Scott shot 73-73-74 (220) and Patrick shot 75-74-72 (221). The State Championship was going on at the same time EXPO ’86 was underway in Vancouver B.C. Our accommodations were extremely limited, but our juniors followed the reservation plans outlinedand we had a full field and a very exciting tournament. Elwin Fanning, our PGA Director from Kayak Point, set up a moving leaderboard on the back of an electric golf cart that added much to the excitement. Elwin was a great asset to our tournament as well as an interesting speaker at the banquet. He attended the University of Houston and had much to tell our youngsters about golf at the collegiate level. He was assisted by the professionals from all three assisting courses — Rick Verbarendse, Everett G&CC; John Yacobellis, Lake Padden GC and Ron Haas, Sudden Valley G&CC. These gentlemen really added an “air of class”.
A playoff was needed to determine the girls state champion. Erin Johnsrud, a 16-year-old from Moses Lake, had an 80-83-77 (240), but lost on the first playoff hole to 14-year-old Tracy Hanson of Twin Lakes, Idaho, 82-80-78 (240). Tracy had a birdie 4 on the first playoff hole.
Total members reached 1,031 with each paying a $5 membership fee and $7.50 for tournaments. Total income for WJGA reached $68,861.68. Memorial contributions were given to WJGA in memory of Ruth Busch, Seattle; Joe Lawlor, Kennewick; Sally Stull, Alderbrook and Ned Tracy, Anacortes.
The WJGA officers for 1986 were Bill Meyer, President; Elwin Fanning, Vice President; Jeannie Critchfield, Secretary; Jerry Fehr, Treasurer; and Joan Teats, Executive Director.
Rick Fehr, the 1979 state champion, recorded his first PGA Tour victory, winning the BC Open in Endicott, N.Y., in September of 1986.
· The ninth annual girls Junior Americas Cup was held at Shaughnessy CC in Vancouver, B.C., with 16 teams competing. Washington finished in seventh place, improving by 17 strokes along the way and gaining valuable tournament experience. The Washington team was made up of Shelly Triplett, Pullman, 85-81-80 (246); Audrey Wooding, Tacoma, 92-79-82 (253); Erin Johnsrud, Moses Lake, 87-85-82 (254); and Ashley Patterson, Yakima 90-86-82 (258).
· The Hogan Cup team was made up of Patrick Brownfield 78-70 (148); Paul Hogben 78-77 (155); Scott Sullivan 82-80 (162); Derk Hannigan 84-80 (164) and Jim Tegeler 85-81 (166). Washington placed fifth under team captain, Bill Comfort, a member of WJGA rules committee.
· Washington girls had a USGA qualifying event for the first time, which gave them team points, the opportunity to win expense money, plus more valuable competitive experience. Twelve girls competed at Sand Point CC in Seattle for a spot in the U.S. Junior Girls Championships with 17-year-old Ashley Patterson, Yakima, shooting 81-83 (164) and Stephanie Davis, Bainbridge finishing with 80-84 (164).
· Washington was represented at the boys 39th U.S. Junior Championships by Derk Hannigan, Richland; Adam Borseth, Marysville; Jim Tegeler, Renton and Warren Vickers, Clarkston. Warren qualified for match play (top 64 players), but lost his first match. The boys who earned the right to play at the home of the Jack Nicklaus Memorial Tournament were not at all disappointed with the course.
· Tacoma Country & Golf Club was the site for the state qualifying for the Optimist Junior World tournament. A record field of 54 boys and 15 girls made it to the 36-hole qualifier. The all-expenses paid trips to San Diego were won by Stephanie Davis, 16, Bainbridge Island, 75-80 (158) and Mike Montgomery, 16, Seattle, 67-76 (143). Also qualifying to represent Washington were Sean Hall, 17, Everett, 73-72 (145), Patrick Brownfield, 16, Tacoma, 75-71 (146) and Brad Joondeph, 17, Bellevue, 73-73 (146). Derk Hannigan, 16, Richland, 75-71 (146) lost in a playoff as Washington was allowed only four spots.
· Stephanie Davis, 16, Bainbridge Island, qualified for the PGA National Championship through her play at the Northwest qualifier, which was held at North Shore GC, sponsored by United Van Lines, and directed by Scott Solomonson, the head pro. At the national tournament she finished in a tie for 17th place.
· Scott Sullivan received the Al Mengert Inspirational Award.
The first year of the North Pacific Girls Team Matches, Washington competed against British Columbia. Joan Green of Vancouver, B.C. developed these matches with the idea of encouraging girls to play and have fun. Six top players comprise the team based on points accumulated the previous year. Matches are conducted in the same style as the Ryder Cup and Curtis Cup, using two-ball and four-ball competitions with three points awarded for each match. The ages ranged from 15 to 17 for these first matches, which were held at Fircrest GC, with the handicaps ranging from 2 to 16. The Washington team was made up of Tracy Hanson, Twin Lakes; Erin Johnsrud, Moses Lake; Stephanie Davis, Bainbridge; Shelly Triplett, Pullman; Becky Fossum, Allyn; Anne Huiziuga, Tacoma. Washington won the initial matches, 18 1/2-8 1/2.
The U.S. Junior Girls was held at Manito G&CC in Spokane. WJGA was represented by Audrey Wooding, Tacoma, 83-77 (160); Stephanie Davis, Bainbridge, 81-82 (163); Shelly Triplett, Pullman, 81-87 (168); Erin Johnsrud, Moses Lake, 87-83 (170); Tracy Hanson, Twin Lakes, Idaho, 83-91 (174); Samantha Patch, Seattle, 94-90 (184); and Valerie Stull, Seattle 90-WD illness. The cut for match play was 168, and Shelly was in an eleven-way playoff for one spot! Audrey and Stephanie made it to match play, but lost their first match. All, however, had a wonderful experience playing in a national championship.
The 11th State Championship was conducted by District Four with Yakima CC the host course, with assistance from Yakima Elks G&CC and Suntides GC. Also, this year WJGA volunteers began carrying standards at Safeco.
The membership total was 1,174 as of March 3, 1987, with total income at $74,622.75. The third annual lady directors meeting was held in Ellensburg. Memorial contributions were made in memory of Ruth Busch, Seattle; Jane Clark, Kennewick; and Don Whinery, Richland.
· The 15th boys Junior Americas Cup was held at Yellowstone CC in Billings, Mont. Washington finished third after leading in the first round. The team members were Patrick Brownfield 70-78-72 (220), Greg Raleigh 73-71-81 (225), Kevin PomArleau 74-79-79 (232), Jeff Gove 81-77-75 (233) with Merrill Teats the team captain.
· The 10th girls Junior Americas Cup in Mexico was exciting with Washington finishing second as a team and Stephanie Davis taking medallist honors with a 73-72-72 (217). Other team members were Audrey Wooding 77-74-79 (230), Tracy Hanson 79-80-75 (234), Kris Lazar 76-78-WD illness. Sixteen teams from West competed at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City. It’s been a course favorable to Washington players after Scott Sullivan was the medallist at the boys Junior Americas Cup in 1986 on the same layout. Audrey Wooding won the Al Mengert Inspirational Award.
· At the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying, spots were won by Kevin PomArleau, Wenatchee, 71-72 (143), Mike Montgomery, Seattle, 74-74 (148), Brian Nugent, Renton, 72-77 (149) and John Stejer, Spokane, 71-73 (144). Kevin PomArleau made it to the quarterfinals in match play at the national tournament, which attracted a record entry of 2,349 and is a top competition for juniors as well as a wonderful experience.
· The 36-hole qualifier for the Optimist Junior World tournament was held at Port Ludlow, a very difficult par-72 course, with a record 57 boys and 14 girls playing for the opportunity to play at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Paid trips to the San Diego tournament were won by Darren McKowan, Spokane, and Erin Johnsrud, Moses Lake. At San Diego, Stephanie Davis finished in seventh with rounds of 77-79-78-76 (310), Audrey Wooding tied for 15th, 81-79-80-78 (318), Greg Raleigh tied for 21st with 75-75-76-78 (303), Matt Bunn 77-79-72-86 (314) finished in 54th place. Darren and Erin did not make the cut.
· Patrick Brownfield and Kris Lazar represented the Northwest at the PGA National Junior Championships. Patrick tied for 15th with rounds of 75-81-82-77 (315) and Kris tied for 12th shooting 86-82-81-79 (328).
· Washington was third out of nine teams at the Hogan Cup with the team made up of Patrick Brownfield 75-77 (152); Jeff Gove 83-78 (161); Greg Raleigh 81-80 (161); and Peter Yurovchak 92-74 (166). Merrill and Joan Teats were the co-captains.
Matt Bunn of Colbert was nominated for “Junior Inland Empire Male Athlete of the Year” for outstanding achievement in golf. More than 1,000 athletes attended the awards ceremony in Spokane on January 25th.
· The 16th boys Junior Americas Cup was played at Ogden CC in Odgen, Utah. Washington finished fourth with Jim Buratto 73-71-73 (217); Craig Gronning 72-78-74 (224); Matt Bunn 72-83-76 (231); Spencer Leu 75-78-78 (231). Spencer was stung by a bee and his arm really swelled up, but he continued to play with the help of a local doctor, a member of Odgen CC, who happened to be watching the competition. Craig Gronning was the winner of the Al Mengert Inspirational Award.
· The 11th girls Junior Americas Cup was held at Moon Valley CC in Phoenix. Washington finished sixth with a 726 while Southern California won at 670. Playing for Washington in temperatures that reached 115 degrees, but surviving with tremendous stamina and competitiveness were Tracy Hanson 76-77-82 (235); Mary Jo Rollins 79-82-81 (242); Jennifer Meyer 84-81-84 (249); and Valerie Stull 86-83-89 (258).
· Washington took fourth at the Hogan Cup, finishing just seven strokes behind the leader. Playing for Washington were Jim Buratto, Brian Nugent, Greg Raleigh, Craig Gronning and Spencer Leu, with Merrill Teats and Chris Neery, serving as co-captains.
· At the PGA National Junior Championships, the Northwest was represented by Matt Bunn of Colbert who took 23rd with a 76-80-81-72 (309) and Tracy Hanson of Rathdrum, who took 14th with a 320.
· The second annual North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches were held at Hazelmere CC in Surrey B.C.. Washington, with members Jennifer Meyer, Becky Fossum, Amy Elieff, Anne Huizinga, Paula Weihe and Valerie Stull, won to take a 2-0 lead in the series. British Columbia had three younger girls, ages 13 to 17, due to a scheduling conflict.
· The 41st U.S. Junior Amateur was held at Yale University with five boys from Washington — Greg Raleigh, Jim Tegeler, Jeff Anderson, Rick Vaughan, and Bill Howard — in the field. Two Washington boys made the cut at 157, with Greg Raleigh qualifying in 31st place at 74-77 (151) and Jim Tegeler qualifying 59th with a 75-79 (155). In match play, Greg won his first match and Jim lost his as both ran into tough competition in the match-play rounds. The other Washington scores were Jeff Anderson 85-73 (158); Rick Vaughan 78-87 (165); Bill Howard 91-82 (173).
· The U.S. Junior Girls was held at Golden Valley CC in Minnesota, and four Northwest girls with handicaps of 8 or less qualified — Tracy Hanson 79-80 (159); Jennifer Meyer 83-83 (166); Mary Jo Rollins 83-83 (166); Valerie Stull 80-89 (169). Tracy made the cut at 163, but lost her first match and they all had a great time.
· The winners of the Northwest qualifying for the Optimist Junior World in San Diego were Mary Jo Rollins, Spokane, and Ned Sander, Seattle. Five other boys qualified that day at Canyon Lakes in Kennewick — Ned Sander 74-74 (149); Jim Tegeler, Renton 74-75 (149); Brian Nugent 76-74 (150); Matt Bunn and Craig Gronning. Matt and Craig made the final cut in San Diego, and Matt ended up tying for 23rd at 73-75-76-77 (301) and Craig placed 38th with a 79-71-72-82 (304). Six Northwest girls — Tracy Hanson 86-81-77 (244); Jennifer Meyer 89-84-82 (255), Anne Huizinga 86-86-83 (255); Mary Jo Rollins 85-85-87 (257); Valerie Stull 88-87-87 (262); and Debbie Brady 90-90-87 (267) — also played in the San Diego tournament.
The Washington Junior Golf Foundation was created to build a permanent endowment fund to help provide an additional source of future funding for junior golf. The directors of the foundation were Katie Carter, Steve Davis, Dan Hill (PGA), Karel Hull, Cilla Joondeph, Dennis McLaughlin, Al Patterson and Roger Stephens.
Memorial contributions that year were made in memory of Charles Cufley, Earl Gamble, Mrs. Lela Griggs, Erick Hainsworth, Mrs. Lester Moe, Stan Stilwell, John Tarpening and Tom Tucker.
For the first time, the WJGA State Championship had an exclusive sponsor, Seafirst Bank. The organization furnished fax machines, scoreboards, contestant towels, registration folders, ditty bags, a clinic by the “Golfing Gorilla”, long drive prizes and personalized golf bags for each champion. Seafirst made the 13th annual State Championship a very classy event thanks to Rick Larson, Seafirst Senior Vice-President. The host course was Oakbrook, assisted by Fircrest and North Shore.
The Big “I” Insurance Youth Classic, sponsored by Independent Insurance Agents of Washington, started in Washington. Thirty-six golfers from six local qualifying sites played 36 holes at Yakima CC with Bill Howard of Richland and David Putney of Yakima winning all-expenses paid trips to Texarkana, Arkansas, for the national finals. Al Patterson, the tournament director, was assisted by Big “I” chairman, Larry Ball.
· The sectional qualifying for the PGA National Junior Championship was held at Rippling River Golf Resort in Oregon under the direction of Ron Stull, the Junior Chairman of the Pacific Northwest Section of PGA. Pre-qualifying allowed spots for 36 boys and 15 girls. Winners of the trip to nationals were Jeremy Forster, Port Angeles, 68-66 (134) and Tracy Hanson, Rathdrum, Idaho, 76-70 (146). At nationals at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Jeremy tied for 12th with rounds of 78-75-75-78 (306). Tracy finished seventh after rounds of 78-74-79-80 (311).
· The 12th annual girls Junior Americas Cup was held at Illahe Hills CC in Salem, Ore. Washington finished fourth with Amy Elieff leading the way with a 81-80-81 (242). Other members were Anne Huizinga 81-83-84 (248), Paula Weihe 93-81-80 (254) and Mary Sue Serwold 91-87-91 (269).
· The 17th annual Junior Americas Cup was conducted by the Northern California Junior Golf Association at Pasatiempo, home to many collegiate tournaments. Washington finished fourth with Matt Bunn posting a 72-74-80 (226), followed by Rick Vaughan 81-80-73 (234), Scott Johnson 78-81-77 (236), and Matt Bergstrom 78-83-85 (246). Merrill Teats served as the team captain. Matt was awarded the Al Mengert Inspirational Award.
· Washington took fifth in the Hogan Cup, led by Spencer Leu and his 70-71 (141), Matt Bunn 74-76 (150), Rick Vaughan 77-73 (150), and Bill Howard 77-77 (154). Joan Teats was the team captain.
· The 42nd U.S. Junior Amateur was held at Singing Hills GC in El Cajon, Calif. Washington had five players in the field — Rick Vaughan and Matthew Williamson of Spokane; Matt Bergstrom, Burlington; Chris Johnson, Kennewick and David Kern, Burlington. Rick Vaughan 77-75 (152) and Matt Bergstrom 79-75 (154) made the cut at 154 to be honored to be among the top 64 juniors in the country. Rick lost in the first round of match play, but Matt went to the third round.
· The 41st U.S. Junior Girls was held at Pine Needles Lodge in Southern Pines, N.C. Tracy Hanson, Mary Jo Rollins and Valerie Stull qualified and Tracy, with a 77-74 (151), and Mary Jo, with a 77-79 (156), qualified for match play. Mary Jo lost in the first round and Tracy in the second, but both had very close matches and a great golfing experience.
· Washington won the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches 20-7 at Semiahmoo GC to take a 3-0 series edge over British Columbia. Washington team members were Mary Jo Rollins, Spokane; Anne Huizinga, Tacoma; Valerie Stull, Seattle; Amy Elieff, Bothell; Paula Weihe, Bellingham; Julie Bowen, Burlington.
· Qualifying for the Optimist Junior World tournament was held at Canyon Lakes GC in Kennewick. The five spots went to Matt Bunn 68-71 (139); Scott Johnson 72-72 (144); Rick Vaughan 73-72 (145); Chris Johnson 72-75 (147) and Jason Weir 75-73 (148). At the tournament in San Diego, Matt, Rick and Scott made the final cut of 221. Matt finished at 77-74-77-75 (303) as did Rick at 77-77-75-74 (303) with Scott at 74-77-76-80 (307). Among the girls, five qualified for San Diego — Mary Jo Rollins 80-85-82 (247), Nicole Materne 85-86-80 (251), Mary Sue Serwold 83-88-86 (257), Shelley Tucker 91-88-86 (265), and Valerie Stull 83-88-96 (267).
An impressive list of golfers were named to the Advisory Board of the Washington Junior Golf Foundation. Named to the Board were Rick Acton, John Bodenhamer, Fred Couples, Rick Fehr, Pat Harbottle, Edean Ihlanfeldt, Brian Mogg, Al Mundle, Bill Sander, Anne Sander, Ken Still, Bill Tindall, Kirk Triplett and Robin Walton. Cilla Joondeph was named president of the Board.
· Tom Pidduck of Kitsap G&CC and Caroline Spiegelberg of Oakbrook G&CC won the sectional qualifying for the PGA National Junior Championships, sponsored by Maxfli. The qualifier was held at Useless Bay G&CC on Whidbey Island under the direction of Ron Stull.
· Qualifying for the Optimist Junior World tournament were Jamie Follen, Tacoma; Jeff Widdows, Sunnyside; Matt Bergstrom, Burlington; Spencer Leu, Renton; and Darby English, Sumner. Qualifying among the girls were Nicole Materne, Spokane; Becky Gardner, Tacoma; Mendy Cooper, Tumwater; Mary Sue Serwold, Edmonds; Mary Jo Rollins, Spokane; and Emily Martin, Spokane.
· Washington finished eighth at the 13th annual Junior Americas Cup for girls. Playing for Washington in the tournament in Edmonton, Alberta were Becky Gardner, who continued her strong play to lead the team at 80-86-81 (247), Vicki Strada 80-85-86 (251), Mendy Cooper 83-83-91 (257), and Nicole Materne 86-87-88 (261).
· The boys 18th annual Junior Americas Cup matches were held at Yorba Linda CC with Southern California serving as the hosts. Washington placed sixth with Bill Meyer acting as coach and captain, and the players being Spencer Leu 77-73-72 (222), Rick Vaughan 74-72-77 (223), Scott Johnson 75-85-73 (233) and Tom Pidduck 78-81-76 (235). Spencer won the Al Mengert Inspirational Award.
· Washington took a 4-0 series lead in the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches, held at the beautiful Semiahmoo resort course. Helping Washington to the victory were Sara Berlin, Federal Way; Mary Jo Rollins, Spokane; Caroline Spiegelberg, Tacoma; Vicky Strada, Cosmopolis; Amy Widdows, Sunnyside; and Mary Sue Serwold, Edmonds.
· Washington ended up fourth out of 12 teams at the Hogan Cup. Playing for Washington were David Putney 72-78 (150), Spencer Leu 76-80 (156), Jamie Follen 75-82 (157) and Scott Johnson 82-76 (158) in the first year the tournament went to just four players per team instead of five. Joan Teats served as the captain.
· Two Spokane juniors — Todd Pence and Rick Vaughan — made the final field of 64 to qualify for match play at the U.S. Junior Championship at Lake Merced G&CC in the Bay Area. Others who played in the tournament included John Moscrip of Seattle, Darby English of Sumner and Melvin Choi of Mill Creek.
· Washington was represented by six girls at the U.S. Junior Girls at Manasquan River GC in Brielle, NJ. Mary Jo Rollins of Spokane, Mendy Cooper of Tumwater and Nicole Materne of Spokane advanced to the match-play portion of the tournament. Others in the field were Sara Berlin of Federal Way, Mary Sue Serwold of Edmonds, and Vicky Strada of Cosmopolis.
· After qualifying at Yakima CC, Rick Vaughan of Spokane and Scott Johnson of Kennewick represented the state of Washington at the Big “I” Insurance Youth Classic and reported that it was a great experience.
The Board of Directors of WJGA added two new members, Dr. Paul Hastings of Spokane and Sharon Zahler of the Tri-Cities and the PGA. WJGA raised $4,960.35 through a raffle, with Michelyn Lund the chairperson. It was deemed a great success with seven terrific prizes and therefore seven happy winners, and another was planned for the following year.
Memorial contributions were received in tribute to Jay Alford, John Chakirian, Keith Hunt, Harry Jensen, James Keane, Frank LaFriec, Maxine McCortney, Emma Templeman, Robert Witts, and Scott Green, who was a member of WJGA and a leaderboard in his honor was contributed by District 6 members.
The 15th annual State Championship was conducted by District Two with Overlake G&CC in Bellevue the host club, and assistance coming from Glendale CC and Tam O’Shanter CC. Ron Hoetmer and his professional staff at Overlake took good care of the juniors, and Joan Teats was the tournament director.
· Washington took third at the 14th annual Girls Junior Americas Cup, which was held at Ogden CC in Ogden, Utah. With Wyoming in the field for the first time, there now were 18 teams competing. Heather Graff, 14, from Kennewick took fourth individually with rounds of 81-75-83 (239). Others playing for Washington were Mendy Cooper 83-80-80 (243), Vicky Strada 83-81-79 (243) and Emily Martin 87-88-82 (257), and Joan Teats was the captain.
· The second round of the 19th annual Junior Americas Cup was canceled because two hole of the Carlton Oaks CC course in Santee, Calif., were flooded prior to the second round. Washington placed fifth in the tournament conducted by the San Diego Junior Golf Association. Playing for Washington were Scott Johnson 74-75 (149), Mark Worthington 71-79 (150), Bob Conrad 75-78 (153), and John Moscrip 80-74 (154).
· Vicky Strada of Cosmopolis and Scott Johnson of Kennewick were the sectional qualifying winners for the PGA National Junior Championships. Johnson later received an exemption into the national event, so his spot from the Pacific Northwest sectional was awarded to Mark Worthington.
· Mark Worthington of Redmond took fourth among the 806 players, including 178 foreign players from 34 countries in the Optimist Junior World tournament in San Diego. His rounds of 72-68-76-78 (294) earned him a trip to Japan to play in the first Japan Cup. Other Washington players in the field were Mark Waddington of Spokane, Jared Jeffries of Spokane, Chris Janson of Chehalis, Jason Lund of Kelso; and among the girls there were Caroline Spiegelberg of Tacoma and Emily Martin of Spokane.
· The fifth annual North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches also ended in Washington’s favor in the competition held at the Semiahmoo resort in Blaine. Helping Washington to a 5-0 lead in the series were Vicky Strada, Cosmopolis; Sara Berlin, Federal Way; Julie Bowen, Burlington; Amy Widdows, Sunnyside; Mendy Cooper, Tumwater; and Becky Gardner, Tacoma.
· Washington took second in the Hogan Cup, trailing just Northern California by four strokes. Helping Washington to that finish were Mark Worthington 73-73 (146), John Moscrip 74-73 (147), Ryan Kelly 80-75 (155) and Bob Conrad 84-79 (163). Joan Teats served as captain with Jerry Fehr and Chris Neery the co-captains.
· The Frank Rodia Pacific Northwest PGA Junior Championships were in their second year and received financial support and encouragement from Elmer Nordstrom. The age group winners were John Moscrip (15-17), Caroline Spiegelberg (15-17), Dusty Brett (12-14), Mendy Cooper (12-14), Brady Stockton (8-11) and Sara Huizinga (8-11).
· Matt Thurmond of Burlington and Scott Johnson of Kennewick made it to the second round of match play at the 44th U.S. Junior Championships, and Darren Slackman of Colbert made it to the first round. Other Washington players in the tough competition at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Fla., were Darin Vaughan, of Spokane and Spencer Leu of Renton.
· Vicky Strada of Cosmospolis beat some very good players to reach the quarterfinals of the 43rd U.S. Junior Girls tournament at Crestview CC in Wichita, Kan. Caroline Spiegelberg and Becky Gardner, both of Tacoma, also made the match-play portion of the tournament. Others in the tournament were Mendy Cooper, Julie Bowen and Sara Berlin.
· Scott Johnson of Kennewick and Jason Lund of Longview won trips to the Big “I” Insurance Youth Classic as qualifying was held at Yakima CC for the third time, with Dr. Alan Patterson serving as chairman and Steve Conway representing the Washington Insurance Agents.
Three new WJGA directors were named. They were Barbara Lockner of Seattle, Jeff Neyenhouse of Puyallup and Mickey Kempken of Everett. Karen Leonardson of Seattle and Dick Acarregui of Seattle retired from the board. The raffle, again under the capable leadership of Michelyn Lund, broke the record set in 1991. Total net profits were $8,535, and once again there were seven winners who received terrific prizes.
The 16th annual State Championship was conducted by District One, with Mill Creek G&CC, always very supportive of junior golf, serving as the host club. Everett G&CC and Walter Hall GC added assistance. Shirley Serwold was the tournament chairman.
· Heather Graff, at age 15, improved her position at the Girls Junior Americas Cup by one spot by taking third with rounds of 77-71-77 (225) at Escondido CC in San Diego, Calif. Washington finished a strong fourth, just one stroke from winning a medal. Also playing for Washington were Amy Widdows 80-75-79 (234), Danielle Zahaba 81-86-78 (245) and Molly Cooper 86-83-81 (250).
· Heather Graff also made it to the quarterfinals of the 44th U.S. Junior Girls, held at Meridian Hills CC in Indianapolis. Others in the field were Becky Gardner, Mendy Cooper, Emily Martin, Terra Lawson and Danielle Zahaba.
· Bryan Stevens of Bellevue and John Moscrip of Seattle won in the first round of match play of the 45th U.S. Junior Championships to reach the final 32 in the field. Darin Vaughan of Spokane also qualified for match play. Others from Washington in the tournament at Wollaston GC in Milton, Mass., were Mark Waddington of Spokane and Mark Worthington of Redmond.
· Washington was again the winner in the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches, taking a 6-0 series lead over British Columbia. Washington won 18 1/2-8 1/2 at Semiahmoo with Amy Widdows of Sunnyside, Emily Martin of Spokane, Wendi Winegardner of Bothell, Heather Graff of Kennewick, Molly Cooper of Tumwater and Danielle Zahaba of Bainbridge Island leading the way.
· Washington took second at the Hogan Cup matches with a 473 team scoring, just edging out Northern California’s 474. Team members were Matt Thurmond 78-77 (155), Paul Walker 80-80 (160), Darin Vaughan 83-78 (161) and Ken Rizvi 85-77 (162).
· Nine players from WJGA were in the field of 800 players from 34 countries at the Optimist Junior World tournament. Darin Vaughn of Spokane tied for seventh with rounds of 73-73-73-77 (296) and won an all-expenses paid trip to the third Japan Cup played at Fuji Country Syuga Club. Others in the field from Washington were Mark Worthington, Redmond; Paul Walker, Mount Vernon; Heather Graff, Kennewick; Danielle Zahaba, Bainbridge Island; Terra Lawson, Colville; Andy and Michael Hastings, Spokane and Troy Kelly, Bremerton.
· Matt Thurmond of Burlington and Amy Widdows of Sunnyside were the winners at the Maxfli Pacific Northwest PGA Section Junior Championship, which also served as the qualifier for the PGA National Juniors Championship. This event was held at Longview CC and Three Rivers GC and coordinated by Mark Lynch of the Western Washington PGA Chapter and Mike Fields, chairman of Western Washington Junior Golf Committee. The format was changed for the tournament, using four age divisions for both boys and girls. Trophies were awarded to first, second and third place in each division. The older groups played 36 holes and the younger kids played 18.
· Dan Kempken received the winner’s trophy from Mike Fields, the Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club head pro and tournament director for the Frank Rodia Pacific Northwest Junior Championship.
· The Big “I” Insurance Youth Classic has a new name, now being known as the IIAJC. Matt Thurmond of Burlington, and Chris Jansen of Chelalis won the right to represent Washington at the national tournament, and did it under the watchful eye of Steve Conway who was representing the Independent Insurance Agents.
The first WJGA marathon was held at Lynnwood GC and was a successful event that made a major contribution to the financial strength of WJGA. Players arrived at 6 a.m., had breakfast, got tee assignments and teed off at 7:05 a.m. By 4:30 p.m., 90 percent had completed 100 holes. Carts were provided for each player by Key Bank and that helped to make it all work. Chris Neery, who put her heart and soul into this major project, was the event coordinator and deserves much thanks. As a thank you for being Gold Medal Sponsors, John Beadle (Seattle Junior Hockey), Dick Ollinger (Harris Ford) and Boh Dickey (Safeco) played a round of golf with Rick Fehr at Seattle Golf Club. Rick gave a short clinic for the marathon players. Others who made the event a success were Bill Meyer, who provided some motivational words, Bob Nilson, Shirley Brodie, Jim Roberts, Jerry Fehr, Joan Teats, Scotty McEachern and Paul Meyer.
The Triplett family of Pullman became a shinning example of the benefits and spirit of WJGA. All three children — Kirk, Bryan and Shelly — played in WJGA, then all graduated from college with financial help from golf scholarships. In college, they played four years of varsity golf and held jobs on the side to help with school expenses. Shelly was named an Academic All-American at Kansas. Kirk and Bryan both earned degrees in Engineering, and Kirk plays on the PGA Tour. Mom and dad — Diane and Perry — were WJGA volunteers for many years, and supporters.
Memorial contributions were made in the names of Aaron Aiken, Jay Alford, Fran Beheymar, Tom Curtiss, Dr. Ralph Debit, Mark Denholm, Dave Dickerson, Cal Freeman, John Harris, Eunice Mills, Dr. Joe Morton, Lois Mueller, Joyce Nakamura, Miles Nuzum, Frank Rodia, Howard Steinburg, Florence Stillwell, Dr. Fred Stump, Emma Templeman, Kiyo Tsurusaki, Tom Tuck and Joe Woolsey.
Heather Graff defended her title in the 15-17 age group at the 17th annual State Championship, which were conducted by District Four with Meadow Springs CC the host club. The assisting clubs were Canyon Lakes GC and Tri-City CC. PattyAnderson, a past WJGA director, did a great job in being in charge of the tournament.
The Al Mengert Inspirational Award was retired and put on display in the WJGA office. The award was renamed in honor of founder and outgoing executive director, Joan Teat, and was based on the same criteria.
· The 16th annual Girls Junior Americas Cup was held at Hidden Valley CC in Reno, Nev. Sisters Molly Cooper and Mendy Cooper tied for fifth individually and the Washington team finished a stroke out of first place with Colorado winning at 706 and Washington at 707. The team scores for Washington were Mendy Cooper 78-77-78 (233), Molly Cooper 76-76-81 (233), Terra Lawson 80-81-80 (241) and Kelly Wilson 88-92-94 (274). Chris Neery served as captain.
· The 21st annual Junior Americas Cup was held in Albuquerque, N.M. at Tanoan CC. Dusty Brett of Tacoma finished sixth overall with scores of 74-71-72 (217). Other members were Ryan Waters of Federal Way 76-76-77 (229), Steve Shupe of Richland 76-78-77 (231) and Charlie Foltz of Spokane 86-75-74 (235). Washington finished in a tie for seventh, but had a great time. Jerry Fehr was the captain, and he and his wife Sally accompanied the team on a fantastic ride on the world’s longest tram, which goes from 5,000 feet to 10,300 feet in 15 minutes in spectacular fashion.
· British Columbia posted its first victory, 14-13, in a close and exciting North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches at Semiahmoo. Danielle Zahaba of Bainbridge Island was the captain of the Washington team and others on the team included Carrie Vaughan, Seattle; Kelly Wilson, Bellevue; Megan Thrash, Spokane; Jaclyn Beaudreau, Federal Way; and Tricia McClain, Everett.
· Washington took third and won a medal in the competitive Hogan Cup Matches. Washington’s 462 score was just one behind Oregon’s 461. Playing for Washington were Dusty Brett 80-73 (153), Paul Walker 72-81 (153), Charlie Foltz 81-77 (158) and Ryan Waters 80-80 (160).
· Three girls from Washington — Heather Graff, Molly Cooper and Terra Lawson — qualified to play in the 45th U.S. Junior Girls Championship at Mesa Verde CC, Costa Mesa, and Calif.
· Paul Walker of Mount Vernon won two matches and made the final 16 at the U.S. Junior Championship at Waverly CC in Portland, Ore. The other Washington representatives — Steve Shupe of West Richland and Ryan LaVoie of Pasco made the cut to the final 64 and into match play.
· Barry Walters of Yakima and Molly Cooper of Tumwater won the Maxfli Pacific Northwest PGA Section Junior Championships and the trips to the national tournament. The qualifier was held at Gold Mountain GC and Canterwood CC as there were more divisions playing — 8-11, 12-13, 14-15, 16-17 boys and girls.
· State qualifying for the Optimist Junior World tournament was held at Riverside GC in Chehalis. The winning boy and girl from each district received a plaque from the Optimists. The qualifiers were Dusty Brett of Tacoma; Chris Jenson of Gig Harbor, Andy Hastings of Spokane, Dugan Earl of Olympia, Molly Cooper of Tumwater, Mendy Cooper of Tumwater, and Kelly Wilson of Bellevue. Forest Simon of Tacoma offered great help as the Optimist Club representative.
· The Frank Rodia Northwest PGA Junior Championships were again held at Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club. Juniors from Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington were invited to this unique and special event that included 36 holes of stroke play, a horserace, banquet and trophies in each division.
· Paul Walker of Mount Vernon and Charlie Foltz of Spokane won the IIAJC (formerly the Big “I”) qualifier, that again was held at Yakima CC with Dr. Alan Patterson in charge. Walker and Foltz earned trips to the national tournament at Chenal CC in Little Rock, Ark.
WJGA got a great opportunity beginning in 1994, and the association received some significant donations as well, as WJGA alum Fred Couples began the Ernst Championship in Bellevue. WJGA provided the caddies for the event and the juniors got to see some great golfers up close. Bill Andrade won the first tournament, beating Couples in a playoff at Overlake G&CC.
New directors in 1994 were Wally Habenicht, marketing, from Fairwood G&CC and District Six; and George Price, Jr., a PGA member in District Four in Yakima. Jim Roberts and Brad Graff retired from the board.
The Pacific Northwest Golf Association inducted Joan Teats, the founder of WJGA, into its Hall of Fame. Inductees are individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to amateur golf in the Northwest. Joan has volunteered her services for 19 years to WJGA. During this time she also founded the Girls Junior Americas’ Cup Team Matches, and the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches between Washington and British Columbia. She has served as a member of the U.S. Golf Association’s Junior Girls Committee as well as a club representative in the PNGA.
Memorial contributions were received in honor of Edward Frankenfield, Fran Giles, John Harris, Bob Ihlanfeldt, Ruby Mikels, Rosie Ogden, Mary Oldson, Frank Rodia, Tom Tucker and Rodney Zahler.
District Six and Fairwood G&CC in Renton were the hosts for the 18th annual State Championship. Rainier G&CC and Maplewood GC provided assistance. The division winners were Brian Coury of Gig Harbor; Molly Cooper of Tumwater, Britten Barker of Gig Harbor, Kelli Kamimura of Burlington, Jones Patton of Yakima and Jennifer Kamimura of Burlington. Jeff Neyenhouse was the tournament chairman.
· The 17th annual Girls Junior Americas Cup was held at the Beach GC at the Waikoloa Resort on the big island of Hawaii. Washington tied for fifth with Northern California and Mexico, shooting a respectable (706). We just needed to stay out of the lava beds! Molly Cooper tied for fourth with Alberta’s Robin Dejong with a 74-79-74 (227). Also playing for Washington were Andrea Hehn 80-78-81 (239), Britney Holt 81-78-81 (240) and Terra Lawson 86-82-89 (257).
· Washington finished eighth out of 17 teams in the 22nd annual Junior Americas Cup for boys, which was conducted by the Mexican Golf Federation at Club De Golf Vallescondido in Mexico City. Playing for Washington were Jeremy Champoux, Toppenish 74-76-78 (228); Dusty Brett, Tacoma 78-74-77 (229); Andy Hastings, Spokane 79-80-79 (238); Brian Coury, Gig Harbor 80-80-83 (243). Chris Neery served as the captain.
· British Columbia won for the second consecutive year in the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches, posting a commanding 20 1/2-6 1/2 victory over Washington, which still leads the series 6-2. Playing for Washington in the event at Semiahmoo were Tricia McClain of Everett, Kylie Smith of Everett, Andrea Hehn of Langley, Jennifer Ferrante of Battle Ground, Trisha Einspahr of Pasco, and Joanna Snitily of Richland.
· Washington was fifth out of 11 teams at the Hogan Cup in Portland. Leading the way for Washington were Jeremy Champoux 74-78 (152); Andy Hastings 81-76 (157); Dusty Brett 81-79 (160) and Brian Coury 83-86 (169).
· Ryan LaVoie of Pasco, with a 70-75 (145), and Jamie Jou of Richland, with a 79-78 (157) won the Frank Rodia Northwest PGA Junior Championship at Alderbrook.
· Three Washington players made it to the 47th annual U.S. Junior Boys Championships, which were held at Echo Lake CC in Westfield, NJ Russell Surber of Blaine qualified for match play and won one match before being eliminated. Also in the tournament were Justin Hetsler of Tacoma and Troy Kelly of Bremerton.
· Ryan LaVoie of Pasco and Brian Coury of Gig Harbor represented Washington at the IIAJC (Independent Insurance) national tournament at Barton Creek CC in Austin, Texas.
New directors for WJGA were Betty Haack of Inglewood and Glenda Wilson of Inglewood. The retiring directors who deserve thanks are Barbara Lockner, Mickey Kempken and Smokey Cates.
Once again, WJGA was honored to be one of the charities chosen by Fred Couples to benefit from the proceeds of his Ernst Championship tournament held at Overlake CC. John Cook won the event over numerous top-flight PGA Tour players.
WJGA was saddened by the death in 1995 of Jim Paul, who served as the first president of WJGA from 1976 to 1982. He lived in Aberdeen and belonged to Grays Harbor CC. He dedicated much of his extra time to the advancement of junior golfers, and also played an integral role in the foundation of WJGA. With his help, WJGA today is recognized as one of the finest junior golf organizations in the nation, and provides competitive opportunities for more than 1,400 boys and girls. Jim also served as the honorary Washington State team captain during the early years of WJGA’s participation in the Boys Junior Americas Cup Matches, an annual international competition between teams of the best junior golfers in North America. Along with his junior golf activities, Jim was a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Washington State Golf Association. He was a Director of that organization from 1975 until his death.
Memorial contributions were received in honor of Pauline Barr, Vi Couples, Rae Jeanne Dalieb, Mrs. Edward Frankinfield, Larry Huseby, Bob Ihlanfeldt, Oscar Kretschmar, Maxine Matheson, Helen Olson, Frank Rodia, Raymond Shields, Jack Seitzer, Cal Smith, Monty Snider, Hazelbeth Thatcher, Thelma Tucker and Doug Yarroll.
The 19TH annual State Championship was held at Fircrest GC and conducted by District Three. The assisting courses were Oakbrook G&CC and Lake Spanaway GC. Dusty Brett, on his home course, and Kelli Kamimura of Burlington were the big winners in the 15-17 age group. Jon Pidduck of Bremerton and Jennifer Kamimura of Burlington were the winners in the 12-14 group. Cody Upham of Vancouver and Lauren Ressler of Bellingham led the 8-11 divisions. Jeannie Brett and Chris Neery were co-chairmen of the tournament.
· Kelli Kamimura finished in fourth place with a 79-73-73 (225) at the 18th annual Girls Junior Americas Cup at Paradise Hills CC in Albuquerque, N.M. Other Washington players were Andrea Hehn 78-83-79 (240), Jamie Jou 80-81-83 (244) and Taya Battistella 79-83-85 (247). Chris Neery was the team captain.
· British Columbia won its third consecutive North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches competition, scoring a 15-12 victory at Semiahmoo. After nine years, Washington still holds a 6-3 series edge. Playing on the Washington team were Andrea Hehn of Langley, Kylie Smith of Everett, Jamie Jou of Richland, Lesley McClurg of Mill Creek, Angie Park of Mill Creek, and Eyren Risdon of Mill Creek. Chris Neery was the team captain, assisted by Mike Peluso.
· Russell Surber of Blaine won three matches and made the quarterfinals at the 48th U.S. Junior Boys Championship at Fargo CC in Fargo, N.D. Other Washington boys in the field were Andy Hastings of Spokane and Troy Kelly of Bremerton.
· The 47th U.S. Junior Girls was held at Longmeadow CC in Longmeadow, Mass. Britney Holt of Spokane and Taya Battistella of Richland each qualified for match play. Also in the field were Jennifer Hatley of Spokane and Leslie McClurg of Mill Creek.
· Washington took fourth place in the 27th annual Hogan Cup; just missing out of a team medal that goes to the top three. Leading the way for Washington was Joe Valente 76-74 (150), Dusty Brett 81-74 (155), Andy Hastings 79-79 (158) and Jess Daley 87-81 (168). Jerry Fehr was the team captain.
· Troy Kelly of Bremerton, with a 73-70 (143), and Yvonne Ames of Richland, with a 76-77 (153), led the way at the PGA Maxfli Junior Championship qualifier held at Hidden Lakes CC in Sandpoint, Idaho. It was a 36-hole tournament except for the 11-and-under age group, which played 18 holes (nine each day), and Maxfli had tee gifts for all contestants.
· A 36-hole qualifier was held at Capitol City GC for both the Optimist International tournament at PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and the Optimist Junior World tournament at Torrey Pines GC in San Diego, Calif. The medalists were given their choice of playing in Florida or California. Andy Hastings of Spokane was low with 68-66 (134). Among the girls, Andrea Hehn of Langley at 76-74 (150) tied with Britney Holt of Spokane at 74-76 (150).
· Jeff Bishop of Olympia, with a 72-70 (142) and Jerilyn White of Keizer, Ore., with an 83-76 (159) were the overall winners at the Frank Rodia Northwest Junior Championships at Alderbrook. There were six age divisions and Washington was allocated 50 spots in the tournament.
· Jess Daly of Kent, with a 73-73 (146), and Joe Korn of Tukwila, with a 69-77 (146), won the two qualifying spots for the IIAJC (Big “I”) in Nashville, Tenn. After this year, Washington will no longer send players to this tournament. The Insurance Agents withdrew their financial support, but the WJGA thanks them for their past support.
Some new directors for WJGA came aboard in 1996. In District One, Owen McClain of Everett replaced Terry Hehn. In
District Three, Mark Bender of Tacoma became the marketing director, replacing Bob Lund of Longview. And in District Six, Jennifer and Jim Von Doehren took over for Nancy and Jeff Neyenhouse.
Memorial contributions were made in honor of Leonard Berglund, Forrest Bishop, Betty Jean Crider, Ray Elmgren, Eileen Espy, Howard Forbes, Pat Johnson, Mary Morgan, Jim Paul, Gordon Richards, Mabel Richmond, Gene Roberts, Frank Rodia, Paul Rudis, Elmo Samuelson, Paul Titus and Bill Voligny.
Washington was the host once again for the Girls Junior Americas Cup, just as it had been at inception of the team matches, now in their 19th year. A full field of 18 teams competed at Mill Creek CC. Washington placed 12th with Jamie Jou of Richland shooting 80-84-86 (250); Shanelle Roberts of Tacoma 84-81-86 (251); Taya Battistella of Richland, 80-84-88 (252); and Leah Tambellini of Mill Creek 84-83-90 (257); Chris Neery was team captain, and assisted Bob Nilson of Mill Creek who co-chaired the event.
The State Championship, in it’s 20th year, returned to Spokane and District Five with Manito G&CC the host club. The assisting clubs were Hangman Valley GC and Wandermere GC, and Susan Prugh was the tournament chairperson. The top winners were Ryan Benzel of Ritzville and Britney Holt of Spokane. The other division winners Corey Prugh of Spokane and Jennifer Kamimura of Burlington in the 12-14 age division, and Tommy Falsetto of Bellevue and Amy Wang of Kirkland in the 8-11 group.
Fred Couples once again chose WJGA as one of the charities for his Ernst Championship. The tournament was held at Inglewood CC, and Phil Mickelson beat the very strong field of PGA Tour pros.
· Washington took four boys who had never played in the Junior Americas Cup matches and placed fifth at Swan-e-set Bay Resort and Country Club in Vancouver B.C. Washington was just a stroke behind the two teams that tied for third. Washington was represented by Jeff Bishop of Olympia 78-72-71 (221), Troy Kelly of Bremerton 78-74-76 (228), Zach Cazier of Spokane 77-79-78 (234) and Ryan Whitaker of Cle Elum 79-80-77 (236). Jerry Fehr, the executive director of WJGA, was the team captain.
· Washington placed 11th at the 28th Hogan Cup, held again at Riverside CC in Portland, Ore. Ryan Benzel, Ritzville, led the Washington team with scores of 79-78 (157). Other team scores were Mark Hansen of Kent 79-80 (159); Zach Cazier of Spokane 84-86 (170) and Ryan Whitaker of Cle Elum 79-80-77 (236). Jerry Fehr was the team captain.
· Washington got back on the winning track at the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches, posting a close 14-13 victory over British Columbia. Washington now leads the series 7-3. Playing for Washington in the matches at Semiahmoo were Robyn Schulz of Longview, Kylie Smith of Everett, Kris Rojecki of Vashon, Jennifer Cates of Woodinville, Erin Peck of Kelso and Jacqueline Huff of Lewiston, Idaho.
· For the second consecutive year, Russell Surber of Blaine won at least two matches at the U.S. Junior Boys, held this year at Forest Highlands GC in Flagstaff, Ariz. Jeff Bishop of Olympia also reached the match-play rounds and won one match, Also competing from Washington were Troy Kelly of Bremerton and Brock Mackenzie of Yakima.
· Washington was represented by 10 girls in the 48th U.S. Junior Girls, which this year had a total of 616 entries. Four Washington girls — Taya Batistella of Richland, Kelli Kamimura of Burlington, Jimin Kang of Shoreline and Jamie Jou of Richland — qualified for the match-play competition at Westward Ho CC in Sioux Falls, S.D. Taya won two matches and made it to the round of 16. Kelli and Jamie won their first match and Jimin lost her first match to the eventual champion, Dorothy Delasin of Daly City, Calif. Others from Washington in the tournament were Britney Holt of Spokane, Jenny Kamimura of Burlington, Lani Elston of Snohomish, Lesley McClurg of Mill Creek, Shanelle Roberts of Tacoma and Bridget Johnson of Spokane.
· The Maxfli Pacific Northwest PGA sectional qualifying was held at Druids Glen Golf Club in Kent. The 16-17 age group winners were Jeff Bishop of Olympia at 70-73 (143) and Jeff Hyun of Olympia at 75-73 (148). In the 14-15 age group, Derek Berg of Duval at 75-74 (149), and Maria Valente of Renton at 76-84 (160) won. Among the 12-13 group, Ryan Moore of Puyallup at 80-77 (157) and Lani Elston of Snohomish at 77-82 (159) were the winners. And in the 8-11 group, the best scores were turned in by Matt Schiller of Spokane at 37-42 (79) and Amy Wang of Kirkland at 47-50 (97).
· Qualifying for the Optimist International and Optimist Junior World tournaments was held at Capitol City GC in Olympia. The trip to Florida was won by Kris Rojecki of Vashon with rounds of 73-77 (150). Britney Holt chose the trip to San Diego, shooting 74-75 (149). Zach Cazier of Spokane fired a 72-72 (144) and picked the Florida tournament. Sprague Kolp of Woodinville won the San Diego trip, shooting 70-68 (138). Ryan Whitaker of Cle Elum 71-68 (139) and Troy Kelly of Bremerton 68-73 (141) qualified for the San Diego tournament.
· The Frank Rodia Northwest PGA Junior Championship, which has been held each year since 1990 to honor Frank Rodia, a long time golf professional who had a very special interest in junior golf, was again conducted at Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club. The 15-17 age group winners were Eli Zackheim of Portland, Ore., at 75-71 (146), and Brie Delbone of Eugene, Ore., at 80-80 (160). In the 12-14 group, Danny Potter of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, at 79-72 (151) and Lani Elston of Snohomish at 77-77 (154) were the winners. In the 8-11 group, Alex Prugh of Spokane at 79-78 (157) and Paige Gifford of Kent at 96-101 (197) were the winners.
Dan Tachell was honored by the WJGA for being such a devoted supporter of junior golf. A member of the WJGA Board of Directors since 1988, Dan has served in many roles for the advancement of junior golf in Washington. He freely donates Carnation for WJGA events. In 1984, 1986, 1988, 1994, and three times in 1996, Dan held WJGA events for the members in District Two.
WJGA welcomed new directors to its board. In District Three, Nancy Meyers and Lee Anne Hausdorf replaced Carol Fossum and Karen Pidduck. In District Four, Bill Patton replaced his wife Becky who passed away in April of 1996. In District Five, Steve Prugh replaced Tim Morton and Darrell Hull. Steve is head golf professional at Manito G&CC.
Memorial contributions were made to WJGA in honor of Dr. John Thomas Barksdale, Tim Bond, Bernard Brotman, Betty Briggs, Nancy DeTurk, John Gosnell, Jeanne Greiwe, Alice Hoetmer, D.J. Heffernan, Keith Jackson, Harold Loge, John Marcel, Betty Miles, J.M. Lake, Homer Money, Charlie Nap, Gordon Nelson, Swen Olson, James Petersen, Frank Rodia, Becky Shields, H.E. Stromstad and Joseph Templeman.
Teaching juniors about investing in the future of this great game is fundamental and WJGA started doing this through turf grass research. The WJGA membership fee was increased from $10 to $11 and the additional dollar was designated to turf grass research because all golfers will benefit through golf course conditioning.
WJGA volunteers, coordinated by Lynn Winslow, raised $1,426.90 with a putting contest at the Safeco Classic LPGA tournament at Meridian Valley CC in Kent.
The State Championship, in it’s 21st year, returned to the Seattle area with Sand Point CC the host club, and Glendale CC and Tam O’Shanter G&CC offering assistance. Val Rader was the tournament chairman, and the state titles went to Derek Berg of Tall Chief GC and Wendy Wang of Glendale CC.
· The 20th annual Girls Junior Americas Cup was held at Olive Glen CC in Cody, Wyo., with a full field of 18 teams. Washington took eighth with Stephanie Linnell of Burlington 77-80-75 (232), Bridget Johnson of Spokane 81-79-78 (237), Shanelle Roberts of University Place 83-80-80 (243) and Wendy Wang of Bellevue 83-80-83 (246). Chris Neery was the team captain.
· The Washington boys also took eighth at their Junior Americas Cup, and the event, in its 25th year, was held on the big island of Hawaii at Mauna Kea GC. Team members were Derek Berg of Duvall 76-75-76 (227); Brandon Smith of Veradale 85-74-72 (231), Ryan Camp of Spokane 83-78-74 (235) and John Robertson of Olympia 84-83-78 (245). Jerry Fehr served as team captain.
· With a close 14 ½ to 12 ½ victory, Washington increased it’s lead to 8 – 3 in the North Pacific Jr. Ladies Team matches at Semiahmoo. Playing for Washington were Shanelle Roberts of University Place, Bridget Johnson of Spokane, Leah Tambellini of Mill Creek, Becky Barton of Seattle, Noel Hamilton of Olympia and Maria Valente of Kent.
· Washington tied for 10th out of 13 teams at the 29th Hogan Cup. Brandon Smith of Veradale finished in 13th place individually with a 76-76 (152), and he was followed by teammates Derek Berg of Duvall 78-82 (160), John Robertson of Olympia 89-72 (161) and Ryan Camp of Spokane 85-81 (166). Jerry Fehr was the team captain.
· The 50th U.S. Junior Boys Championships was held at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, Pa. In the tournament from Washington were Brian Cupit of Gig Harbor, Reid Hatley of Spokane, Royal Stumph of Spokane.
· Six girls from Washington competed in the 49th U.S. Junior Girls Championships at the Legends Club of Tennessee in Nashville. There were 758 total entries and then 156 in the final field. Kelli Kamimura of Burlington made it to the quarterfinals, and in the second round she beat Jimin Kang of Shoreline. Other Washington girls in the competition were Megan Radonich of University Place, Bridget Johnson of Spokane, Jamie Jou of Redmond and Noelle Hamilton of Olympia.
· The Maxfli Pacific Northwest PGA sectional qualifying was held at Tumwater Valley GC. The top finishers were Brandon Smith of Meadowwood GC 72-72 (144), Ryan Camp of Manito G&CC 69-76 (145), Stephanie Linnell of Skagit G&CC 78-75 (153), Jamie Jou of Sahalee 78-82 (160) and Sara Northcutt of Wandermere 89-71 (160). Most chose to play at the Junior World tournament in San Diego.
· The overall champions at the Frank Rodia Northwest PGA Junior Championships at Alderbrook were John Robertson of Indian Summer GC 75-69 (144) and Julie Wells from Eugene, Ore., 73-78 (151).
With the ever-increasing number of interested juniors, qualifying tournaments have been started in the three largest districts — Two, Five and Six. Returning players who qualified for their district championship in 1997 were deemed “exempt” for 1998 and were given priority for entering the sub-district events.
Bill Patton of District Four deserves a special thanks for developing a computer program that greatly facilitated the flow of information from tournament sites to the WJGA office. It significantly helped all the tournament directors administer their events.
There were new WJGA directors in virtually all the districts. In District One, Valerie Fox and Inger Davenny replaced Owen and Sue McClain. In District Two, Lisa Larson and Val Rader replaced Betty Haack and Glenda Wilson. In District Four, Carol Morgan and Pat Welch, a PGA member replaced Dr. Alan Patterson and George Price, Jr. And in District Five, Ron Peterson retired as marketing director.
Memorial contributions were received in honor of Jane Adams, Ruth Anderson, Bob Collins, William Compton, Tom Couples, Harold Fisher, Lenore Jocha, Stan King, Richard Kvare, Peggy Larson, John T. Long, Pete Rawlings, Frank Rodia, Douglas Author Rodriguez, John Rudy, Helen Tebb and Irene Walters.
Turfgrass and golf course management classes now are being taught in 20 high schools for potential college credits.
A putting contest again was held at the Safeco Classic LPGA event at Meridian Valley CC in Kent with Lynn Winslow coordinating the volunteers once again as well. An amount close to $1,500 was raised.
New WJGA age divisions were installed, with both boys and girls competing in 8-11, 12-13, 14-15, and 16-17 divisions as opposed to the old 8-11, 12-14, and 15-17 system.
Bellingham CC was the host club and District One the host district for the 22nd annual State Championship. Owen and Sue McClain were the tournament chairpersons, and Lake Padden GC and Raspberry Ridge GC offered their courses as well. The state champions were Ryan Keeney of Willows Run and Shanelle Roberts of Fircrest.
· Washington took seventh place in what was virtually an endurance test as temperatures rose to 117 degrees and players were allowed to use carts at the 26th annual Junior Americas Cup at the Grayhawk Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Playing for Washington were Sprague Kolp of Woodinville at 72-70-78 (220), Reid Hatley of Spokane at 70-77-78 (225), Ryan Moore of Puyallup at 76-74-79 (229) and Derek Berg of Duvall at 82-78-76 (236). Jerry Fehr was the team captain.
· Washington took 10th place out of 18 teams as Southern California dominated the 21st annual Girls Junior Americas Cup matches at Sunnyside CC in Fresno, Calif. Stephanie Linnell of Skagit tied for 13th among the 72 players with an 81-80-80 (241). Others playing for Washington were Lindsay Morgan of Walla Walla at 83-85-80 (248), Lani Elston of Manito at 82-84-84 (250) and Shanelle Roberts of Fircrest at 83-84-85 (252). Chris Neery was the team captain.
· With another victory at the Semiahmoo Golf Resort near Blaine, Washington took a 9-3 series lead over British Columbia in the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches. Representing Washington were Stephanie Linnell of Burlington, Megan Radonich of University Place, Marie Beasley of Seattle, Alana Condon of Renton, Lindsay Morgan of Walla Walla and Kelly White of Monroe.
· Washington took home bronze medals for finishing third out of 13 teams at the 30th Hogan Cup matches, held again Riverside G&CC in Portland, Ore. Representing Washington were Derek Berg of Tall Chief at 75-74 (149), Reid Hatley of Manito at 73-77 (150), Ryan Moore of The Classic at 75-78 (153) and Sprague Kolp of Bellevue at 82-79 (161). Jerry Fehr was the team captain.
· Reid Hatley of Manito and Derek Berg of Tall Chief GC made it into the final 64 at the 51st U.S. Junior Boys Championships at Conway Farms GC in Lake Forest, Ill. In the state qualifying in Spokane, Hatley had a 68-65 (133) and Mike Hastings of Spokane a 67-71 (138). In the state qualifying at Fircrest, Brock Mackenzie of Yakima CC shot 72-71 (143) and Derek Berg shot 74-71 (145).
· Lindsay Morgan of Walla Walla, Megan Radonich of Fircrest and Brooke Jackson of Alderbrook represented Washington at the 50th U.S. Junior Girls Championship at Merion GC in Pennsylvania. At local qualifying at Oakbrook G&CC, Lindsay shot a 75, Megan 79 and Brooke 82.
· The Maxfli PGA Northwest Junior Championships were held at Wing Point G&CC on Bainbridge Island. The 16-17 age group winners were Bill Witte of Spokane at 70-73 (143) and Jenny Kamimura of Burlington at 75-81 (156). Among the 14-15 group, David Fern of Spokane at 76-68 (144) and Lauren Ressler of Bellingham at 75-82 (157) were the winners. In the 12-13 group, Kyle Forbes of Sumner at 76-70 (146) and Amy Wang of Kirkland at 87-85 (172) won. The 8-11 winners were Joel Dahmen of Clarkston at 40-40 (80) and Blair Ressler of Bellingham at 51-50 (101).
· Sprague Kolp of Bellevue Municipal GC, with a 72-73 (145), and Lani Elston of Manito G&CC, with a 77-80 (157), were the winners of the Optimist International and Junior World qualifying tournament held at Capitol City near Olympia.
· At the Frank Rodia Northwest PGA Junior Championships at Alderbrook G&YC on Hood Canal, the boys overall winner was Brock Mackenzie (16-17) of Yakima CC at 68-70 (138). Lauren Ressler (14-15) of Sudden Valley at 82-75 (157) was the overall winner for the girls.
Lindsay Morgan of Walla Walla did a good job by winning four matches to reach the semifinals of the 51st U.S. Junior Girls Championships, which were held in Maryland. Lani Elston of Spokane and Lauren Ressler of Bellingham also qualified for the match-play competition.
The Washington team rallied from a nine-stroke deficit to tie Northern California for top honors and gold medals at the 27th annual Junior Americas Cup at Perry Park CC in Larkspur, Colo. Playing for Washington were Kevin Wang of Kirkland 71-74-74 (219), Ryan Moore of Puyallup 76-73-74 (223), Gregg LaVoie of Pasco 74-79-73 (226) and Ryan Camp of Spokane 81-72-74 (227). Jerry Fehr was the team captain.
A scheduling conflict with the state championship prevented Washington from entering a team in the Girls Junior Americas Cup matches in Las Vegas. Instead, WJGA entered four girls in the Canadian Ladies Golf Association’s National Junior Championships at Stony Plain Country Club in Edmonton, Alberta. Out of 93 competitors, the four from WJGA were the only foreign competitors. Three of our Washington girls finished in the top 20 as WJGA was represented by Sung Ea Lee of Tacoma 70-79-80 (230), Stephanie Wei of Bellevue 79-73-78 (230), Paige Mackenzie of Yakima 80-78-77 (235) and Jeanie Bagnell of Puyallup 79-85-85 (249). Chris Neery was the team captain.
Again, there were changes in the WJGA Board of Directors. In District One, Dean Russell, a PGA member from Bellingham replaced Dave Bobillot a PGA member from Skagit. In District Three, Dick Hausdorf replaced Nancy Meyers, and Rich Friend, a PGA member from Tacoma CC replaced Steve Dubsky, a PGA member and a director for many years. In District Four, Steve Stensland of the PGA replaced Pat Welch of the PGA. And in District Six, R.E. (Dick) Dadey of Meridian Valley replaced John Bodenhamer as marketing director.
Memorial contributions were made in the honor of Jack Baty, Bob Collins, Tom Couples, Bernice Derr, Harold Fisher, Margo Glynn, Marcella Hanson, Dick Hunt, Maxine Jennings, Helen Johnson, Ralph Peluso, Eric Nelson, J.C. Niedhold, Lynn Rautio, Mort Robbins, Avanelle Robinson, Frank Rodia, Lyle Tulon, Becky Shields, John Whalen and Bea Williams.
The turfgrass program is in its third year of pilot testing at 32 high schools in an effort to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills for employment and/or further training in the turfgrass and golf course industry.
The putting contest at the Safeco Classic LPGA tournament again was a great success. With Bob Nilson coordinated the volunteers, $1,722.80 was raised to benefit WJGA.
The 23rd annual State Championship was conducted by District Four, and held at Yakima CC, with Yakima Elks GC and Suntides GC offering assistance. Caren Mackenzie and Bill Patton were the tournament chairpersons, assisted by Patty Anderson.
· Washington again won the two-day best-ball and singles match-play competition at the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches. Washington leads the overall series with British Columbia 10-3. Representing Washington were Emily von Doehren of Auburn, Paige Mackenzie of Yakima, Lani Elston of Spokane, Lauren Ressler of Bellingham, Stephanie Wei of Bellevue and Sarah Bassett of Spokane. Chris Neery was the team captain and was assisted by Mike Peluso.
· Gregg LaVoie of Pasco, the youngest player on the Washington team at age 15, shot fine rounds of 72-73 (145) to win the second-place silver medal in the individual competition at the 31st Hogan Cup at Riverside G&CC in Portland, Ore. Washington finished fifth out of 12 teams. The other Washington players were Ryan Camp of Spokane 78-74 (152), Ryan Moore of Puyallup 80-77 (157) and Kevin Wang of Kirkland 79-78 (157). Jerry Fehr was the team captain.
· Ryan Camp won two matches and qualified for the round of 16 at the 52nd U.S. Junior Boys Championships in Pennsylvania. Camp had a 69-66 (135) in qualifying and Bill Witte had a 70-74 (144).
· The Optimist International and Optimist Junior World qualifying again was held at Capitol City GC near Olympia. Gregg LaVoie of Pasco and Ryan Camp of Spokane tied at 136 for medalist honors. David Fern of Spokane; Ryan Keeney of Willows Run GC, Chris Swanson of Indian Summer CC; Ryan Moore of Puyallup and Kevin Wang of Kirkland all chose to go to San Diego to play in the Junior World event at Torrey Pines GC. The girls who qualified for San Diego were Lauren Ressler of Bellingham, Jeanie Bagnell of Edgewood, Stephanie Wei of Bellevue, Erin Ellingson of Gig Harbor, Sheena Prante of Olympia, Alana Condon of Renton and Stephanie Linnell of Burlington. Winning trips to the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at the PGA National GC in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. were Michael Putnam, and Megan Radonich, both of University Place.
· The Pacific Northwest section qualifying for the MAXFLI PGA Junior Championship was held at Santiam GC in Slayton, Ore. The boys division winners were Jeff Dunn (16-17) of Oregon at 69-72 (141), Alex Prugh (14-15) of Manito at 73-72 (145), Vincent Johnson (12-13) of Oregon at 71-71 (142), and Jesse Schutte (8-11) of Oregon at 38-39 (78). Among the girls, the winners included Stephanie Linnell (16-17) of Burlington at 73-75 (148), and Cassie Castleman (14-15) of Oregon at 75-77 (152). In the 12-13 age group, there was a tie between Stephanie Johns of Oregon at 86-84 (170) and Kim Shin of Shoreline at 83-87 (170), and Tia Gannon of Oregon won the 8-11 division at 46-45 (91).
· Select juniors from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana again made up the field at the Frank Rodia Northwest PGA Junior Championships, a great summer-ending tournament held each year since 1990. The winners were Brock Mackenzie of Yakima at 71-66 (137), and Jill Ferrante of Vancouver at 79-76 (155).
In fact, Washington won both the team title and the individual crown at the 32nd annual Hogan Cup team matches at Riverside CC in Portland, Ore. Washington beat the strong Northern California team by one stroke and Michael Putnam of University Place had a 70-74 (144) for top honors. Washington last won the Hogan Cup in 1978. Others on the team were Jake Easterly 81-73 (154), Kevin Wang 77-81 (158) and Ryan Keeney, 78-76 (154).
Washington played host to the 28th Junior Americas Cup at Sahalee CC in Redmond. The last time the event was in Washington was in 1983, and that was also at Sahalee. Washington finished fifth out of 16 teams and was led by Redmond’s Ryan Keeney with a 71-75-71 (217). Other Washington players were Michael Putnam of University Place at 71-83-78 (232), Jake Easterly of Leavenworth at 79-77-77 (233) and Kevin Wang of Kirkland at 80-78-75 (233). Bob Kelliher was the Sahalee general chairman, and Jerry Fehr was the team captain for Washington and tournament chairman.
Membership has now reached 1,515 with 931 boys and 176 girls who actively played in at least one event. There were 237 members who qualified for the state championship. The largest number of members came from Jackson Park with 44 and North Shore 42. Of the 1,515 WJGA members, 903, or 60 percent, were from public courses.
More new directors were added to the WJGA Board. In District Two, Bear Creek members Tanya and Dan Freeman replaced Lisa Larson and Val Rader. In District Three, Karin Putnam, Lynn Swanson and Nancy Edwards, all from Fircrest GC, replaced Lee Anne and Dick Hausdorf. Steve Stensland, the PGA director in District Four, moved to the head pro position at Vashon G&CC in District Six, so he was replaced in District Four by John Thorsnes, the head pro at Walla Walla CC. In District Four, Teri and Todd Snyder of Wenatchee came on board. They replaced Caren Mackenzie and Bill Patton. However, Bill moved to the position of financial and technical advisor and Caren moved into the marketing director spot as Carol Morgan of Walla Walla retired.
Memorial contributions were made in honor of Lee Bennett, Dr. Caggiano, Rodney Carlson, Okie Eliason, Paul Hackstadt, Bob Higham, Tim Jacobs, Jan Romack Johnson, Dennis Kump, John S. Lyle Sr., Rod Marcum, Bud McQuire, Ruth Miles Morgan, Ed Podolinsky, Frank Rodia, Denny Ruthruff, Linda Curtiss-Schwank, Becky Shields, Payne Stewart, Merrill Teats, Ted Wedlake, John Whalen and Jim Yandel.
The Turfgrass and Golf Course Management training program is now in its fourth year of pilot testing and has grown to include 49 high schools and offers potential college credit, scholarships and summer jobs.
The State Championship was held in District Six in the Kent area. Riverbend GC was the host course with assistance from North Shore GC and Jade Greens GC. The tournament chairman was Jim von Doehren, and he was assisted by wife Jennifer and Mike Peluso. This event was beautifully organized and marked the first time that the State Championship was contested entirely on public courses. The state champions were Ryan Moore of Puyallup and Sarah Bassett of Spokane.
· Washington finished in third spot at the 23rd annual Girls Junior Americas Cup under its new captain, Patty Curtiss, an LPGA teaching professional. Eisenhower GC in Colorado Springs, Co, hosted this year’s GJAC. Playing for Washington were Paige Mackenzie of Yakima (224), Sung Ea Lee of Tacoma (228), Amy Wang of Kirkland (240) and Katie Brophy of Spokane (242).
· British Columbia won the North Pacific Junior ladies Team Matches this year by a 16-11 score at Semiahmoo Golf Resort near Blaine, but Washington still held a 10-4 series lead. Representing Washington were Lani Elston of Spokane, Brooke Jackson of Shelton, Sung Ea Lee of Tacoma, Lauren Ressler of Bellingham, Amy Wang of Kirkland and Stephanie Wei of Bellevue. Chris Neery was the team captain with assistance from by Mike Peluso.
· Three of the five Washington girls in the 52nd U.S. Junior Girls Championship at Pumpkin Ridge in Cornelius, Ore., made it to the match-play portion of the tournament. Lani Elston of Spokane qualified with a 38-38 (76) and then won two matches. Lauren Ressler of Bellingham qualified with a 39-37 (76) and then won one match. Sung Ea Lee of Tacoma qualified with a 39-37 (76), but then lost her first match. Stephanie Wei of Bellevue, with a 39-38 (77), and Katie Brophy of Spokane, with a 40-38 (78), did not qualify for match play.
· The Pacific Northwest Section PGA qualifying was held at Hidden Lakes GC in Sandpoint, Idaho. The boys age group winners were Joe Lanza (16-17) of Bainbridge Island at 70-71 (141), Alex Prugh (14-15) of Spokane at 75-70 (145), Nathan Strand (12-13) of Olympia at 83-78 (161), and Sean Fitzpatrick (8-11) of Bothell at 39-41 (80). Among the girls, the winners were Brooke Jackson (16-17) of Shelton at 71-76 (147), Katie Street (14-15) of Federal Way at 75-74 (149), Stephanie Johns (12-13) of Oregon at 76-89 (165) and Cara Freeman (8-11) of Woodinville at 42-45 (87).
· The Junior World Championship qualifying was held at Capitol City GC near Olympia. The low scores among the boys were Reid Rader of Inglewood CC at 69-68 (137), Harvey Pegram of Avalon at 72-69 (141), Tommy Falsetto of Bellevue Municipal at 68-73 (141), Kevin Wang of Glendale CC at 72-70 (142), Gregg LaVoie of Meadow Springs G&CC at 72-71 (143) and Ryan Keeney of Willows Run at 74-70 (144). Among the girls, Amy Wang of Glendale CC had a 75-70 (145), Katie Brophy of Manito G&CC a 77-71 (148), Kim Shin of Jackson Park a 76-73 (149), Stephanie Wei of Glendale CC a 78-77 (155), Ashley Forbes of Tapps Island a 76-81 (157). Once at San Diego for the Junior World tournament, Ryan Keeney placed 10th with a 68-73-75-71 (287) and Michael Putnam placed 15th at 73-68-75-72 (288). Washington discontinued sending players to the Optimist International tournament in Florida this year.
· Ian Clark of Twin Lakes G&CC and Sean Fallows of Mount Si GC tied for medalist honors in the at the Frank Rodia Northwest PGA Junior Championship held again at Alderbrook on Hood Canal. Overall girls winner was Lauren Ressler of Sudden Valley G&CC at 73-75 (148).
· Players from Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Germany, California, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Montana, Alaska, Idaho, Utah and Washington played 54 holes at Manito G&CC in the PGA Junior Series event. The two boys division winners were Kevin McElheran (15-17) of Meridian Valley CC at 71-71-68 (210) and Craig Leslie (13-14) of Manito at 74-72-71 (217). Among the girls, Sarah Bassett of Manito won the 15-17 division at 74-75-73 (222). In the 13-14 group, Renee Skidmore of Walter Hall, at 83-82-80 (245), tied with Eli Brown of Idaho at 80-85-80 (245).
The WJGA website (www.wjga.net) began a new pilot program that allowed juniors in Districts Three and Five to register for membership and tournaments on-line. This program went statewide in 2002.
There were new WJGA directors in three districts. In District One, Leslie Fitzpatrick of Bothell replaces Ricky Knue of Mount Vernon. In District Two, Scotty McEachern of Seattle GC retired and Tom Phillips of Seattle took his place as marketing director.
The format of Maxfli PGA Junior Championship changes in 2001. The name was changed to the Westfield Junior PGA Championship and it will be held at Westfield Country Club in Westfield, Ohio. Each PGA section will send its top boy and girl to Westfield. There will be no local qualifiers by district, instead it becomes a section championship by invitation only, with invitations based on playing results in the previous season.
The Junior World state qualifier moved to Tumwater Valley GC in Olympia. Two 18-hole rounds will be held in one day, same as in the past.
The GJAC (Girls Junior Americas Cup) traveled to Southern California to compete with 17 other teams of four, at Mesa Verde Country Club. Washington finished a strong fourth, with team MVP, Katie Brophy, Spokane, winning the individual award! Her scores were 74-72-70 (216); Lauren Ressler, Bellingham, 77-78-76 (231); Renee Skidmore, Everett 81-80-77 (238); Stephanie Parsley, Chelan, 83-77-81 (241). Congratz to our fabulous girls!
The JAC (Boys Junior Americas Cup) team traveled to Billings, Montana, and had their competition at Yellowstone Country Club. Our boys finished seventh in this elite field of players from the western US, Canada, and Mexico. Team MVP, Alex Prugh from Spokane, had fine rounds of 73-73-73 (219); Sean Packer, Sumner, 75-75-74 (224); Charles Koh, Bellevue 75-75-78 (228); Lucas Johnson, Federal Way, 78-75-77 (230).
The Hogan Cup was again contested at Riverside Country Club in Portland, Oregon. Our team always enjoys this very tight and challenging course. This year, the course got the best of us, and we finished 9th out of 12 teams. Lucas Johnson, Federal Way 74-78 (152); Sean Packer, Sumner, 83-73 (156); Charles Koh, Bellevue 80-78 (158); Ian Clark, Federal Way 85-78 (163).
Turfgrass classes are being taught in more than 56 high schools in Washington, and is its fifth year of pilot testing in high schools.
Technical Adviser Bill Patton, Chris Neery and Pam Mowbray in the WJGA office were the major contributors to this very successful project.
The North Pacific Ladies Junior Matches were held again at Semiahmoo and Loomis Trail Golf Clubs, in which the USA team from Washington and Oregon competed against the Canadian team from British Columbia and Alberta. This year the Canada team reversed the results of 2001 and came away with a 38-16 victory. Washington was represented in this fine international competition by Renee Skidmore, Everett; Amy Wang, Kirkland; Sung Ea Lee, Tacoma; Brooke Henderson, Richland; Katie Street, Federal Way and Blair Ressler, Bellingham.
The 2002 Junior World qualifier was held at the beautiful Tumwater Valley Golf Course, where the 36-hole competition was won by Reid Rader, Kenmore and Kim Shin, Shoreline. Reid shot great scores of 68 and 69 to win the boys title by two strokes over Tom McAndrews, Colbert. Kim’s scores of 71-74 brought her a four-stroke victory over Amy Wang, Kirkland.
Alex Prugh, Spokane; Craig Leslie, Spokane; Kyle Forbes, Sumner; Fred Schlect, Yakima; Ryan Aker, Port Orchard; Eric Hastings, Spokane; Tom McAndrews, Colbert; and Dan Miller, Gig Harbor, attended the Junior World Championship in San Diego. Girls representing Washington were Blair Ressler, Bellingham; Ellie Brophy, Spokane; Chris Yun, University Place; Kristen Stanley, Gig Harbor and Amy Eneroth, Colbert.
Washington players who made the cut after the first 54 holes were Alex Prugh, who finished a strong 13th, and Craig Leslie who placed 47th.
Several new directors joined the WJGA board in 2002.
In District One, Renee Martin, Mukilteo, came aboard to assist Tournament Director Leslie Fitzpatrick.
Our District Two Tournament Directors Tanya and Dan Freeman moved to Southern California for business reasons, and we were fortunate to have Janet Benson, Sammamish, join us as the new Tournament Director.
District Three saw two changes as Tim Bordeaux replaced Mark Bender as Marketing Director and Scott Alexander took over for Rich Friend as PGA Director.
And, in District Six, Brett Wilkinson joined the team as PGA Director. Brett replaced Ron Hoetmer who moved to the Long Range Planning Committee.
Ron was an original director for WJGA, and has been instrumental in much of the success attained by the organization.
WJGA thanks all the retiring directors for the contributions they have made to the program over the years.
The Pacific Northwest qualifier for the PGA Westfield Junior Championship was held at Indian Summer G & CC. The winners, each of whom earned a trip to the national tournament in Ohio, were Reid Rader, Kenmore and Sung EA Lee, Tacoma.
At the Ohio national event Reid finished in a strong 13th place. Sung shot some fantastic golf with a 72-hole total of 15 under-par 269 to win the girl’s national championship by a wide margin. Congratulations to Sung Ea Lee, the first Washington girl to win this championship.
The 2002 State Championship was held in Spokane with District 5 as the host district.
We had a very successful tournament, with Susan Prugh acting as Tournament Chair ably assisted by Debbie Leslie. Manito G & CC was the host club, assisted by Downriver GC and Wandermere GC.
Despite a trying few hours on Thursday caused by thunderstorms in the Spokane area, the tournament was completed on schedule and we say some exciting golf.
The girl’s title was won by Kristen Stanley, Gig Harbor, who defeated defending champion Sung Ea Lee by making a birdie on the first playoff hole. Both Kristen and Sung shot fine 54-hole totals of 220.
Craig Leslie, Spokane, fired amazing rounds of 63-68-67 for a record total of 198 to win the boy’s title by nine strokes. Runner-up Luke Johnson shot a 61 at Downriver, the lowest single round in the history of the WJGA State Championship.
Tragically Luke lost his life in a traffic accident just five days later. A new award has been established in Luke’s memory, which will go to the boy, and girl who shoot the lowest single rounds in each year’s State Championship.
Crane Creek Country Club in Boise, Idaho, was the site of the Girl’s Junior America’s Cup in 2002.
The Washington team was captained by LPGA teaching professional Patty Curtiss, who was accompanied by her sister, Chris Neery and mother Joan Teats. Joan was honored as the founder of this event.
Kim Shin, Shoreline, was the low scorer with a 54-hole total of 237. The Washington team placed seventh in the field of seventeen teams. Other team members were Ellie Brophy, Spokane; Blair Ressler, Bellingham and Kristen Stanley, Gig Harbor.
The Boy’s Junior America’s Cup competition was held at the Silver Springs Golf & Country Club in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The four team members and team captain Jerry Fehr left Spokane the morning after the State Championship and drove through some fantastic Canadian scenery on the way to Calgary.
The team finished in sixth place, just three strokes from earning medals for a tie for second place. The Most Valuable Player Award went to Brady Sharp, Port Orchard, who shot a fine 54-hole total of 225, highlighted by a final round of 72 on a very cold day. Other members of the team were Eric Hastings, Spokane; Fred Schlect, Yakima and Zach Bixler, Richland.
As usual the Hogan Cup matches were held in Portland, Oregon at the Riverside Golf & Country Club.
Washington captured silver medals by tying for second place with Southern California and Idaho. Low scorer for the team was Zach Bixler, Richland, with scores of 75-73- 148 on the very testing course at Riverside. Other Hogan Cup team members were Craig Leslie, Spokane; Eric Hastings, Spokane and Fred Schlect, Yakima.
Qualifying for the USGA Junior Amateur was held at both Manito Golf & Country Club in Spokane and the Canterwood Golf & Country Club in Gig Harbor.
The low scorer in Spokane was Alex Prugh who shot great rounds of 70 and 66 to win medallist honors by seven strokes over Tom McAndrews, Colbert, who gained the other spot at the national tournament.
At Canterwood the medallist was Kyle Forbes, Sumner, who shot rounds of 72 and 72. The other qualifying position went to Kyle Stanley, Gig Harbor.
At the national event in Georgia, Alex Prugh was the only Washington boy to make the cut to match play. He qualified easily with a fine 36-hole total of 147 and won one match by a 6&5 margin before losing in the second round to a former champion.
The girl’s qualifier at Canterwood identified four top players to represent Washington at the national event in Westfield, New Jersey. Both Kim Shin, Shoreline and Renee Skidmore, Everett qualified with fine scores of 78 on the very difficult course, followed very closely by the other two qualifiers with scores of 79, which were Amy Wang, Kirkland and Natalie Todd, Redmond.
In New Jersey, the only player to make the cut to 64 for match play was Kim Shin who qualified with a 36-hole score of 152 and won one match before losing in the second round.
The Frank Rodia PNW Junior Championship was contested at the beautiful Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club.
The girl’s champion was Sung Ea Lee, Tacoma, who won the championship by eleven strokes by shooting great rounds of 73-73- 146.
Vancouver, Washington player Alex Williams won the boy’s title by one stroke over Brady Sharp, Port Orchard, with scores of 71-71—142.
As in 2001, Washington players captured both the boy’s and girl’s PNGA Junior Championships.
Kim Shin, Shoreline, won the final match over defending champion Amy Wang, Kirkland, by a 2 & 1 margin at the Clarkston Golf & Country Club.
At the Dungeness Golf & Country Club in Sequim, Reid Rader, Kenmore, captured the boy’s title with a narrow 1 up win over Mike Rogers, Port Angeles
We appreciate all of the loyal volunteers, including many experienced WJGA players, who come out in some cold and wet conditions to help run these early season events.
Registration was again successfully completed on-line, thanks to the timeless volunteer efforts of Bill Patton, assisted capably by staff members Pam Mowbray and Chris Neery.
Semiahmoo and Loomis Trail Golf Clubs continued as hosts of the North Pacific Ladies Junior Matches in late May. The United States team consisting of players from Washington and Oregon defeated the Canadian team from British Columbia and Alberta by a 34-20 margin. Washington team members were Desirae Zine, Maple Valley; Ellie Brophy, Spokane; Renee Skidmore, Everett; Blair Ressler, Bellingham; Kim Shin, Shoreline and Amy Eneroth, Colbert.
Each year WJGA holds a qualifying tournament to determine which boys and girls from ages 15-17 will be able to compete in the Junior World Golf Championship at the beautiful Torrey Pines golf course in San Diego, California.
On July 1 the 36-hole competition took place at Tumwater Valley Golf Course, and the winners were Conner Donnelly, Seattle and Joel Dahmen, Clarkson for the boys and Kim Shin, Shoreline, for the girls. Conner and Joel both had 143 totals, one under par for the day.
Kim shot fine rounds of 75-73 for a total of 148 to win by a five-stroke margin. Other players making the trip to San Diego were Michael Rogers, Port Angeles; John Mahler, Edgewood; Jordan Burns, Longview; Jacob Koppenberg, Everett; Stephanie Moore, Renton; Amy Eneroth, Colbert; Brooke Henderson, Richland; Ellie Brophy, Spokane and Vanessa Sinclair, Allyn.
Joel Dahmen was the only Washington player to make the 54-hole cut in San Diego, and had a very fine T-38 place finish, which helped him gain Player of the Year honors at the end of the 2003 season.
Late in Renee Martin took over for Leslie Fitzpatrick as Tournament Director in District One, and Jeff Cobb came aboard as co-director to assist Renee. In District Three, Linda Gilson replaced Nancy Edwards as co-director assisting Karin Putnam. WJGA thanks Leslie and Nancy for their years of service for the young golfers in their areas.
The 2003 State Championship was held in Bellevue, hosted by District Two. We were indeed fortunate to have Nancy Frost as Tournament Chair, ably assisted by husband Mark and a large group of loyal helpers.
Overlake Golf & Country Club was the host club, assisted by Glendale Country Club for the 12-17 groups and by Tam O’Shanter Golf & Country Club for the 8-11 divisions.
Our girl’s state champion was Blair Ressler, age 16, from Bellingham who won the title by a nine-stroke margin with a 54-hole total of 223. Kevin Tucker, age 15, from Kennewick, won the boy’s by edging T.J. Bordeaux, age 15, Tacoma, by a single stroke.
The 2003 Girl’s Junior America’s Cup matches were held in Whitefish, Montana. Our team finished in a very respectable 4th place, just one stroke behind the bronze medal team from Hawaii. Washington team members, selected on points earned in just the Junior World and USGA qualifiers, were Ellie Brophy, Spokane; Kim Shin, Shoreline; Amy Eneroth, Colbert and Christy Yun, University Place. The team Captain was LPGA teaching professional Patty Curtiss.
The Boy’s Junior America’s Cup took place in Henderson, Nevada, with the team being captained by District Six co-director Jim von Doehren.
This team handled the heat very well and finished in a tie for third place with Southern California, thus bringing home bronze medals. The Puetz Most Valuable Player Award went to Kyle Stanley who finished in a tie for fifth place.
Team members were Kyle Stanley, Gig Harbor; Joel Dahmen, Clarkston; Jordan Burns, Longview and Conner Donnelly, Seattle.
The Hogan Cup team, selected on total points for the 2003 season, included Zach Bixler, Richland; Kevin Tucker, Kennewick; Adam Columbia, Sequim and T.J Bordeaux, Tacoma.
This team finished in a tie for fifth place in this wonderful event, which is held each year at the beautiful Riverside Golf & Country Club in Portland, Oregon. The team captain was WJGA Executive Director Jerry Fehr.
Qualifying for the USGA Junior Amateur (boys) was held at Manito Golf & Country Club in Spokane and at the Canterwood Golf & Country Club in Gig Harbor.
Players who earned the right to represent Washington at the national tournament at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland were Kyle Stanley, Gig Harbor; Zach Bixler, Richland and Nicholas Grigsby, Veradale.
At the national tournament Zach Bixler shot great qualifying scores of 73 and 75 to qualify for match play easily. Zach won his first match and then lost a close match to the eventual champion, Brian Harman from Savannah, Georgia.
The girl’s qualifier for the USGA was held at Yakima Country Club, where the Washington qualifiers were Blair Ressler, Bellingham; Kim Shin, Shoreline; Ellie Brophy, Spokane and Amy Eneroth, Colbert.
Both Blair and Kim advanced to match play by finishing in the top 64 after the tough 36-hole qualifying rounds. Both girls lost in the first round of match play, with Blair giving teen phenom Michelle Wie a very tough battle before losing by a 3 & 2 margin.
In August the Frank Rodia Junior Championship was again held at scenic Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club.
Ellie Brophy, Spokane, captured the girl’s title with scores of 73-80 for a total of 153. Adam Columbia, Sequim, who shot a pair of one under par 71’s to tie with Blake Seabaugh from Oregon, captured the boy’s championship in a playoff. The event honors long-time golf pro Frank Rodia who devoted major effort to the growth of junior golf in both Washington and California.
The Pacific Northwest Golf Association junior championships were held in August with the boys playing at Glendoveer GC in Portland and the girls competed at Wing Point Golf & Country Club on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
The boy’s champion for 2003 was Dustin Andres from Oregon, and the girl’s crown went to Renee Skidmore, Everett.
A very special form of recognition as top amateur golfers went to the WJGA state champions from 1999 and 2000 when both Brock Mackenzie, Yakima and Ryan Moore, Puyallup, were named to the United States Walker Cup Team which represented our country against a team from Great Britain and Ireland in September. Brock was the only member of the team that won each of his matches.
We always appreciate the dedicated volunteers, including many experienced WJGA players, who come out in some challenging conditions to help run these early season qualifiers.
Registration on-line keeps moving along smoothly, thanks to the timeless volunteer efforts of Bill Patton, assisted capably by staff member Pam Mowbray.
Semiahmoo and Loomis Trail Golf Clubs continued as hosts of the North Pacific Ladies Junior Matches in late May. The United States team consisting of players from Washington and Oregon defeated the Canadian team from British Columbia and Alberta by a 41.5 to 12.5 margin. Washington team members were Blair Ressler, Beth Stonecypher, Breanna Carmichael, Amy Eneroth, Haley Parsons, and Annie Brophy.
Each year WJGA holds a qualifying tournament to determine which boys and girls from ages 15-17 will be able to compete in the Junior World Golf Championship at the beautiful Torrey Pines golf course in San Diego, California. On July 2 the 36-hole competition took place at Tumwater Valley Golf Course, and the winners were Kyle Stanley, Gig Harbor and Blair Ressler, Bellingham. Kyle had a 140 total, four under par for the day.
Blair shot fine rounds of 74-71 for a total of 145 to win by a six-stroke margin. Other players making the trip to San Diego were Michael Hansen, Mill Creek, Christopher Evans, Grapeview, Joel Dahmen, Clarkston, Alexander Moore, Richland, Amy Eneroth, Colbert, Christine Cho, Kent, Beth Stonecypher, McKenna, and Haley Parsons, Spokane.
Kyle Stanley and Joel Dahmen both made the 54-hole cut in San Diego. These extra points helped Kyle to gain the Player of the Year for 2004. For the girls, Player of the Year was Amy Eneroth of Colbert.
WJGA thanks retiring directors Bob Nilson and Jeff Cobb for their dedication and selfless service to our kids. Bravo gentlemen!
The 2004 State Championship was held in Everett, hosted by District One. We were indeed fortunate to have Bob Nilson and Valerie Foster as Co-Tournament Chairs, ably assisted by their veteran District One volunteer cadre.
Everett Golf & Country Club was the host club, assisted by Mill Creek Country Club for the 12-17 groups and by Lynnwood Golf Club for the 8-11 divisions.
Our girl’s state champion was Jenna Moore, age 16, from Renton who won the title by a eight-stroke margin with a 54-hole total of 234. Shawn Tonkin, age 16, from Mercer Island, won the boy’s by beating Jarin Todd, age 17, Redmond, in a sudden death playoff on the first playoff hole.
The 2004 Girl’s Junior America’s Cup matches were held in Victoria, British Columbia. Our team finished in a very respectable 6th place. Washington team members, selected on points earned in just the Junior World and USGA qualifiers, were Annie Brophy, Spokane; Blair Ressler, Bellingham; Amy Eneroth, Colbert and Beth Stonecypher, McKenna. The team Captain was LPGA teaching professional Patty Curtiss.
The Boy’s Junior America’s Cup took place in Fresno, California, with the team again being captained by District Six co-director Jim von Doehren.
This finished in a tie for fifth place with British Columbia. The Puetz Most Valuable Player Award again went to Kyle Stanley. Team members were Kyle Stanley, Gig Harbor; Andrew Putnam, University Place, Brad Blakley, Spokane, and Michael Hansen, Mill Creek.
The Hogan Cup team, selected on total points for the 2004 season, included Jacob Koppenberg, Everett; Christopher Evans, Grapeview; Joel Dahmen, Clarkston; and Shawn Tonkin, Mercer Island.
This team finished in a tie for sixth place in this wonderful event, which is held each year at the beautiful Riverside Golf & Country Club in Portland, Oregon. The team captain was WJGA Executive Director Jerry Fehr.
Qualifying for the USGA Junior Amateur (boys) was held at Manito Golf & Country Club in Spokane and at the Canterwood Golf & Country Club in Gig Harbor. Players who earned the right to represent Washington at the national tournament at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California were Kyle Stanley, Gig Harbor; Kyle Stanley Gig Harbor, Andrew Putnam, University Place, Brad Blakley, Spokane, and Nicholas Grigsby, Veradale. At the national tournament Kyle and Brad both made the cut. Kyle won his first match and then lost a close match to Brian Harman from Savannah, Georgia.
The girl’s qualifier for the USGA was held at Manito Golf & Country Club, where the Washington qualifiers were Amy Enroth, Colbert, Blair Ressler, Bellingham, and Annie Brophy, Spokane. Unfortunately, none of our girls made the cut to match play at Mira Vista Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
In August the Frank Rodia Junior Championship was again held at scenic Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club. Rebecca Kim, Oregon, captured the girl’s title with scores of 77-72 (149). Jacob Koppenberg, Everett, 72-69 (141) defeated Corey Mehl, Sammamish 71-70 (141)in sudden death on the first playoff hole. The event honors long-time golf pro Frank Rodia who devoted major effort to the growth of junior golf in both Washington and California.
The Pacific Northwest Golf Association junior championships were held in August with the boys playing at Spokane CC in Spokane and the girls competed at Wing Point Golf & Country Club on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The boy’s champion for 2004 was Brad Blakely of Spokane, and the girl’s crown went to Christy Yun, University Place.
Of special note for 2004: Beginning with a convincing win in the NCAA Championship in early June, 2000 WJGA State Champion Ryan Moore produced a winning streak that has many saying that it is the best summer ever for an amateur golfer. In July Ryan won the Sahalee Players Championship, and followed that with a victory in the USGA Public Links, a title he had also won in 2002.
Next came a victory in the Western Amateur near Chicago, but the best was yet to come. In late July Ryan was the 36-hole qualifying medalist at the U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York with a score of 139, and then proceeded to capture the National Championship by winning six matches. In the finals he overcame a four-hole deficit, and won 2 up with the help of three birdies in the last four holes.
Ryan is now a senior at UNLV, and is looking forward to playing in the 2005 Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open, having earned exemptions into all three events.
The season got underway with qualifying tournaments held in Districts Two and Six at Carnation Golf Course and Jade Greens Golf Course.
Our on-line registration process continued to be a great success, constantly being improved by the talent and efforts of Bill Patton, Pam Mowbray and Chris Curtiss.
The North Pacific Ladies Junior Matches were held in late May at Semiahmoo and Loomis Trail Golf Clubs. A very exciting match was won by the United States team by a narrow margin of 18 ½ to 17 ½. The U.S. team was made up of six players from Washington and six from Oregon, and they competed against the Canadian team representing British Columbia and Alberta. Washington team members were Breanna Carmichael, Tacoma; Beth Stonecypher, McKenna; Christine Cho, Kent; Lauren Phillips, Auburn; Paige Rachor, Bellingham, and Annie Brophy, Spokane.
Qualifying tournaments for the USGA boys and girls championships were held on June 27 at Manito G & CC in Spokane, Canterwood G & CC in Gig Harbor and at Apple Tree GC in Yakima.
Girls who qualified at Apple Tree to go to the national tournament in Idaho were Molly Fuhs, Spokane; Annie Brophy, Spokane and Christine Cho, Kent. Annie Brophy was the only Washington player to make the cut to match play. She then went on to defeat Esther Choe from Scottsdale, Arizona and lost in the second round to Kimberly Kim from Hawaii, 1 down.
The only Washington boy to qualify for the national tournament in Massachusetts was Alexander Moore, Richland. Alexander qualified for match play, but lost a very tough match in the first round to Jean-Phillippe Paiement from California, 1 down.
The Washington qualifier for the Junior World Golf Championship was held again at the beautiful Tumwater Valley Golf Club. This 36-hole event determined which 4 boys and 4 girls would represent Washington in the 15-17 age divisions in San Diego.
Leading the boy’s field with great scores of eight under par 136 were Joel Dahmen, Clarkston and Dustin Poe, Spokane. Joel declined the trip to San Diego. Dustin was joined on the trip to Torrey Pines GC by Chris Evans, Grapeview; Chris Cho, Kent and T.J. Bordeaux, Tacoma.
Christine Cho, Kent, led the girls with a score of 147. She was joined in San Diego by Paige Rachor, Bellingham; Beth Stonecypher, McKenna and Jordan Allyne, Bellevue. Annie Brophy qualified for San Diego, but declined because of a conflict.
In San Diego five of our eight participants made the cut for the final day. Those players were Chris Evans, T.J. Bordeaux, Dustin Poe, Beth Stonecypher and Christine Cho.
The State Championship was hosted by District Four in the Wenatchee area. The Wenatchee Golf and Country Club was the host, and a fantastic job was done by the fine committee led by tournament chair Theresa Palmer. The assisting courses were Highlander Golf Club and Three Lakes Golf Club.
Our 2005 boy’s champion was Andrew Putnam, University Place, who won in an exciting last nine charge to edge 2003 champion Kevin Tucker, Kennewick by two strokes. Andrew’s scores were 68-73-72 for a total of 213, three under par.
The girl’s title went to Paige Rachor, Bellingham, who defeated 2004 champion Jenna Moore, Renton, in a playoff after both players shot 54-hole totals of 243.
The boy’s Junior America’s Cup matches were held in Sheridan, Wyoming. The Washington team, led by Captain Jim von Doehren, tied for the gold medal with the Oregon team. Washington team members were Joel Dahmen, Clarkston; Andrew Yun, Tacoma; T.J. Bordeaux, Tacoma and Dustin Poe, Spokane. Joel was the individual winner of this great event with scores of 70-67-67 for a total of 12-under par 204. As a result of this great performance, Joel was presented with the Puetz Most Valuable Player Award.
Guadalajara, Mexico was the site of the 2005 Girl’s Junior America’s Cup competition, and the Washington team was captained by Patty Curtiss.
A respectable 7th place finish was attained by the team of Beth Stonecypher, McKenna; Annie Brophy, Spokane; Katrina Hegge, Seattle, and Molly Fuhs, Spokane. The Puetz Most Valuable Player Award went to Beth Stonecypher.
The 2005 Hogan Cup Team, selected on points earned for the entire season, were Nick Grigsby, Spokane Valley; Kevin Tucker, Kennewick; Alexander Moore, Richland and Andrew Putnam, University Place.
The team Captain was Jerry Fehr, and the Washington team finished in second place winning the silver medals. As usual this event was held at the demanding and beautiful Riverside Golf and Country Club in Portland, Oregon. Nick Grigsby was the low Washington player with scores of 74-71 that placed him in a tie for third place in the individual competition.
The Pacific Northwest Golf Association junior championships were held in August. The boys played at Homestead Farms Golf Resort in Lynden, where 14-year old Andrew Yun, Tacoma, defeated Nick Grigsby, Spokane Valley in a very exciting and well-played 36 hole final.
The girls played at the Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Washington where the title was won by Jacquelin Olson of Sutherlin, Oregon.
The season finale was the Frank Rodia Alderbrook Junior Invitational held at Alderbrook Golf and Yacht Club in Union, Washington.
Under the direction of Pro Ron Stull and Tournament Director Lorna Martinson, this great event is conducted in memory of Frank Rodia, who spent many years of his career promoting junior golf.
The 2005 champions were Christopher Evans, Grapeview and Paige Rachor, Bellingham. A highlight of this event is the Horse Race held after the first round where boys and girls of all age divisions mix into three-player teams.
Of Special Note for 2005: Again one of our graduates, Michael Putnam, University Place, was named to represent the United States in the Walker Cup Matches. Michael is the son of District Three Tournament Director Karin Putnam and the brother of 2005 State Championship Andrew Putnam. As of Fall 2005, both Michael and Ryan Moore have now turned professional, and are off to fantastic starts in their new careers! Way to go Michael and Ryan!
Pre-season qualifying tournaments were eliminated with all districts returning to a first-come, first -served basis. Our membership was up from last year and as always we thank the hundreds of volunteers who make the program possible.
The North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches were held in British Columbia in late May at the Ledgeview and Chilliwack courses. The USA team that is made up of six Washington and six Oregon girls defeated the Canada team by a score of 20-16. Washington members of this team, captained by Chris Curtiss, were: Stephanie Corey, Katrina Hegge, Jordan Allyne, Christa Goldie, Katie Saucier and Kaitlin Parsons.
June 26 was the date of the qualifying tournaments to determine the players that got to attend the USGA national championships in 2006.
Boy’s qualifying was held at Canterwood G & CC and at Manito G & CC, with the girls playing for their positions at Apple Tree GC.
Earning their spots in the boy’s championship in Rancho Santa Fe, California were Andrew Putnam, University Place; Francis Santiago, Lynnwood and Joseph Perkins, Royal City. Andrew was the only one to make the cut to match play. He then went on to win four matches, losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion, Phillip Francis.
Girls who gained entry into the national tournament in North Carolina were Seo Hee Moon, Mukilteo; Katrina Hegge, Seattle and Jordan Allyne, Bellevue. None of the Washington entrants qualified for match play.
Tumwater Valley Golf Course was again the site for the 36-hole qualifier for the Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, California.
The qualifiers who attended the San Diego tournament at Torrey Pines GC were: Andrew Putnam, University Place; Nick Ellis, E. Wenatchee; Patrick Boag, Yakima; Thomas Jun, Federal Way; Katie Sharpe, Bellingham; Monika Graf, E. Wenatchee; Stephanie Corey, Burien and Jordan Allyne, Bellevue. Katrina Hegge led the Tumwater qualifier for the girls, but declined the trip to San Diego because of a scheduling conflict.
In San Diego Andrew Putnam and Jordan Allyne made the cut for the final day and finished in 19th and 18th places respectfully.
The 30th anniversary State District 6, with Fairwood G, hosted Championship & CC being the host club. They were assisted by Meridian Valley G & CC for the 14-17 age divisions and by the Maplewood GC for the 8-13 players.
The tournament chair was Jennifer von Doehren who did a fabulous job. Her fine committees assured a very successful event for the 258 WJGA members who participated.
The 2006 boy’s champion was Alexander Moore (17), Richland, who won with fine scores of 77-72-70 for a total of 219.
In a rare win by a 14 year old, Lauren Sewell, Renton, shot very low scores of 71-82-77 for a total of 230 to win by a nine-stroke margin over her nearest competitor.
The 2006 Junior America’s Cup matches were held in Ogden, Utah from July 25-27. Jim von Doehren was again the captain of our team that finished in 8th place.
Members of the team were: Nick Ellis, E. Wenatchee; Francis Santiago, Lynnwood; Patrick Boag, Yakima and Joseph Perkins, Royal City. The Puetz Most Valuable Player Award was won by Nick Ellis who shot great scores of 73-67-71 for a total of five-under-par 211.
The Oro Valley CC in Tucson, Arizona was the site of the Girl’s Junior America’s Cup. Patty Curtiss acted as team captain for our girls who finished 5th in a strong field of 17 teams.
Team members were Stephanie Corey, Burien; Katrina Hegge, Seattle; Jordan Allyne, Bellevue and Monika Graf, E. Wenatchee. Stephanie Corey was named the winner of the Puetz Most Valuable Player Award for her fine play. Severe weather caused the event to be shortened to 45 holes in lieu of the normal 54 holes.
August 19 and 20 were the dates of the Hogan Cup matches. As always this event was held at the Riverside G & CC in Portland, Oregon. Team members were Alexander Moore, Richland; Kevin Penner, Sammamish; Ian Dahl, Longview and Thomas Jun, Federal Way. This team, captained by Jerry Fehr, finished in a tie for 8th place. Low scorer for the Washington team was State Champion Alexander Moore with rounds of 75 and 73 on this very demanding course.
The PNGA Junior Championships were held later in August, with the girls playing at Mount Si Golf Course in Snoqualmie, Washington and the boys competing at Port Ludlow Golf Course. The 2006 champions were Eric Grimsberg of Portland, Oregon and Monika Graf from E. Wenatchee, Washington.
The Frank Rodia Alderbrook Invitational was again played at Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club. Tournament chair Lorna Martinson and host PGA professional Ron Stull did a wonderful job conducting this great event that includes a horse race where boys and girls of various ages are paired in teams.
The 2006 champions are Ricky McDonald, Shoreline and Stephanie Corey, Burien. The weather was great and those that attended had a great time in this end of the season event.
The North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches returned to Semiahmoo and Loomis Trail courses in late May. The USA team that is made up of six Washington and six Oregon girls defeated the Canada team by a score of 28-8. Washington members of this team, captained by Chris Curtiss, were: Katrina Hegge, Chessey Thomas, Lauren Sewell, Neddy Martinez, Rui Li and Stephanie Corey.
June 23 was the date of the qualifying tournaments to determine the players that got to attend the USGA national championships in 2007. Boy’s qualifying was held at Canterwood G & CC and at Manito G & CC, with the girls playing for their positions at Tacoma C&GC. Earning their spots in the boy’s championship at the Boone Valley GC in Augusta, Missouri were Cameron Peck, Olympia; Dylan Goodwin, Mukilteo and Chris Cho, Kent. At the national tournament both Cameron and Chris qualified for match play. Cameron won one match to reach the round of 32, and Chris won three matches to reach the quarterfinals.
Girls who gained entry into the national tournament contested this year at Tacoma C&GC were Erynne Lee, Silverdale; Seo Hee Moon, Mukilteo; and Stephanie Corey, Burien. None of the Washington entrants qualified for match play.
Tumwater Valley Golf Course was again the site for the 36-hole qualifier for the Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, California. The qualifiers who attended the San Diego tournament at Torrey Pines GC were: Chris Williams, Moscow, ID; Stefan Richardson, Renton; Erik McCardle, Oak Harbor; Ricky McDonald, Shoreline; Lauren Sewell, Renton; Simone Strauss, Kirkland; Katie Somers, Issaquah; Rui Li, Kent; and Stephanie Corey, Burien. In San Diego Chris Williams made the cut for the final day and finished in 27th place with a final total of 302.
The 31st anniversary of the WJGA State Championship was held in District 3, with Fircrest GC being the host club. They were assisted by Fort Lewis GC for the 14-17 age divisions and by the Meadow Park GC for the 8-13 players. The tournament chair was Don Fossum, assisted by Chris Curtiss, who did a fabulous job, as always. Their fine committees assured a very successful event for the 258 WJGA members who participated. The 2007 boy’s champion was Chris Williams, Moscow (a rare win by a 15 year old), who won with stunning scores of 66-69-71 for a total of 206. Katrina Hegge, Seattle shot great scores of 75-72-78 for a total of 225 to win by a 5-stroke margin over her nearest competitor.
The 2007 Junior America’s Cup matches were held at the Morgan Run Resort and Club in Rancho Santa Fe from July 31 – Aug 2. Jim von Doehren was again the captain of our team that finished tied with Oregon once again for the gold medal. Members of the team were: Cameron Peck, Olympia; Chris Cho, Kent; Stefan Richardson, Renton; and Chris Williams, Moscow, ID/ The Puetz Most Valuable Player Award was won by Cameron Peck who shot great scores of 72-68-68 for a total of four-under-par 208.
The Waverly CC in Portland, OR was the site of the Girl’s Junior America’s Cup. Patty Curtiss acted as team captain with sister Chris as her Co-Captain for our girls who finished 6th in a strong field of 18 teams. Team members were Katrina Hegge, Seattle; Chessey Thomas, Spokane; Simone Strauss, Kirkland; and Lauren Sewell, Renton. Katrina Hegge was named the winner of the Puetz Most Valuable Player Award for her fine play.
August 18 and 19 were the dates of the Hogan Cup matches. As always this event was held at the Riverside G & CC in Portland, Oregon. Team members were Tyler Kato, Seattle; Cory Mehl, Seattle; Dylan Goodwin, Mukilteo; and Kevin Penner, Sammamish. This team, captained by Jerry Fehr, finished in 4th place. Low scorer for the Washington team was Kevin Penner with rounds of 71 and 73 (144) on this very demanding course.
The PNGA Junior Championships were held August 13-16, with the girls playing at Ocean Shores GC in Ocean Shores, Washington and the boys competing at Burley GC in Burley, Idaho, Aug 13-17. The 2007 champions were Jens Bracht, of Lake Forest Park and Rui Li from Kent, Washington.
The Frank Rodia Alderbrook Invitational was again played at Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club. Tournament chair Lorna Martinson and host PGA professional Ron Stull did a wonderful job conducting this great event that includes a horse race where boys and girls of various ages are paired in teams.
The 2007 champions are Will Holdridge, Bellingham and Stephanie Corey, Burien. The weather was great and those that attended had a great time in this end of the season event. This was the final year of the “Gates Foundation” grant that helped to fund this casual and fun season ending event. The future of the Frank Rodia event for 2008 is uncertain at this time.
In May the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches were held at Semiahmoo and Loomis Trail. The USA team made up with six girls each from Oregon and Washington defeated the Canadian team by a margin of 22-14. The Washington contingent was captained by Chris Curtiss. The players were Katrina Hegge, Chessey Thomas, Lauren Sewell, Claire Rachor, Rui Li and Kristin Tan.
The USGA qualifying events were held on June 23. Boys qualifying was held at Canterwood G & CC and at Manito G & CC. The girl’s event was also held at Manito. Earning their spots in the boy’s championship at the Shoal Creek GC in Alabama were Cameron Peck, Olympia; Kevin Penner, Sammamish; Justin Haase, Spokane and Garrett Howard, Spokane. At the national tournament both Cameron and Kevin qualified for match play. The highlight was that Cameron Peck went on to become the USGA Junior Amateur Champion, winning in the final 36-hole match by a record margin of 10 and 8.
On the girls’ side qualifiers to go to the national tournament in Hartford, Connecticut were Chessey Thomas, Spokane; Seo Hee Moon, Mukilteo; Katrina Hegge, Seattle and Rui Li, Kent. Katrina qualified for match play and lost a tough match on the 19th hole.
Tumwater Valley Golf Course was again the site for the 36-hole qualifier for the Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, California. The players who attended the Torrey Pines championship were Chris Williams, Moscow, ID; Kevin Penner, Sammamish; Reid Martin, Mukilteo; Will Holdridge, Bellingham; Lauren Sewell, Renton; Kristin Tan, Seattle; Chessey Thomas, Spokane and Genavive Dodge, Post Falls, Idaho.
In San Diego all four boys made the cut for the final day. In the very strong international field Chris Williams finished 3rd, followed by Kevin Penner in 13th place, Reid Martin in 29th and Will Holdridge in 33rd place. This was the strongest showing by our boys in this event.
The 32nd WJGA State Championship was held in District 5 with Spokane Country Club acting as the host club. They were assisted by Manito Golf & Country Club and Wandermere Golf Course. The tournament chair was Cyndi Kelly, assisted by Don Fossum. Their fine committees assured an outstanding event for the 258 WJGA members who participated. The 2008 boy’s champion was Hank Frame, Spokane Valley, who won with fine scores of 69-72-68 for a total of 209.Rui Li, Kent, shot great scores of 76-72-78 for a total of 226 to win by a three-stroke margin.
The 2008 Junior America’s Cup matches were contested at the Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver, Washington July 29-31. Jim von Doehren acted as captain of the team that placed 7th in the field of 17 teams. Members of the team were Kevin Penner, Sammamish; Will Holdridge, Bellingham; Broc Johnson, Auburn and Justin Haase, Spokane. The Puetz Most Valuable Player Award went to Kevin Penner with fine scores of 76-68-72 for a total of 216.
The Girl’s Junior America’s Cup competition was held in Calgary, Alberta at the Willow Park Golf Club. Patty Curtiss was the team captain and her team finished in 5th place in the strong field of 18 teams. Team members were Katrina Hegge, Seattle; Chessey Thomas, Spokane; Kristin Tan, Seattle and Lauren Sewell, Renton. Katrina Hegge was a repeat winner of the Puetz Most Valuable Player Award for her fine play.
August 16 and 17 were the dates of the Hogan Cup Matches at the beautiful Riverside Golf and Country Club in Portland, Oregon. Team members were Tyler Kato, Seattle; Jack Whealdon, Ilwaco; Reid Martin, Mukilteo and Carl Jonson, Bainbridge Island. This team captained by Jerry Fehr finished in a tie for 4th place with Northern California. Low scorers for the Washington team were Jack Whealdon and Reid Martin with 36 –hole totals of 145.
The PNGA Junior Championships were held in August, with the girls playing at Longview Country Club and the boys competing at Mill Creek Country Club. The 2008 champions were Will Holdridge, Bellingham and Rui Li, Kent. It was Rui Li’s second consecutive championship in this event.
Due to construction of a new clubhouse at Alderbrook Golf and Yacht Club, the Frank Rodia Junior Invitational was not held in 2008.
The USA team defeated the Canadian girls by a 29-7 score. This event includes six girls from Washington and six from Oregon competing against the Canadian team including girls from British Columbia and Alberta. Washington members in 2009 were Rachel Choi, Mukilteo; Rui Li, Kent; Anna Bourland, Bainbridge Island; Kimberly Santiago, Lynnwood; Savana Bezdicek, Colbert and Mallory Kent, Tukwila.
The USGA qualifying tournaments were held on June 22. Boys qualifying was held at Gold Mountain GC in Bremerton and at Manito G & CC in Spokane. The only Washington qualifier was Zach Wanderscheid, Goldendale. Zach attended the national event at Trump National in New Jersey and even though he did not advance to match play he gained some valuable experience and had a great time. The girls qualified at Manito, with WJGA members qualifying there being Chelsea Saelee, Seattle and Lauren Sewell, Renton. WJGA member Seo Hee Moon, Mukilteo qualified at another site, and was the only one of the girls to make the cut to match play at the New Jersey event.
The 36-hole state qualifier for the Junior World Golf Championship in San Diego was conducted on July 1 at Tumwater Valley Golf Course. The players who qualified to participate in the 15-17 divisions at Torrey Pines were Peter Gullickson, Spokane; Dustin Hegge, Lake Tapps; Jack Kelly, North Bend; Justin Haase, Spokane; Kelli Bowers, Chelan; Rui Li, Kent; Megan Haase, Spokane and Rachel Choi, Mukilteo. Peter Gullickson was the only player to make the cut in San Diego. Peter played very well to attain a top 30 finish in this great competition.
The 33rd WJGA State Championship was held in Bellevue, hosted by District 2. The Tournament Chair was Susie Kern, assisted by Don Fossum. Long time tournament directors Janet Benson and Nancy Frost also played very significant roles in conducting a great tournament despite all-time record heat. We thank Glendale Country Club, Overlake Golf & Country Club and Bellevue Golf Course for making their beautiful facilities available to us for this final WJGA event of the season. The 2009 boy’s champion was Michael Rutledge, Fall City, who won with scores of 72-70-73 for a total of 215. Lauren Sewell, Renton, won her second state title with rounds of 72-72-75 for a total of 219 to gain a four- stroke margin over the field.
The Girls’ Junior America’s Cup competition was held at the Logan Golf & Country Club in Logan, Utah. The Washington team placed 4th in a field of 18 teams. Captain Patty Curtiss led a team consisting of Kelli Bowers, Chelan; Rui Li, Kent; Rachel Choi, Mukilteo and Megan Haase, Spokane. Kelli Bowers was the winner of the Puetz Most Valuable Player Award.
The 2009 Boys’ Junior America’s Cup event was played at the Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena, California. The Washington team, captained by Jim von Doehren, placed 5th in a field of 17 teams. Team members were Tyler Kato, Seattle; Dylan Stensland, Snohomish; Justin Haase, Spokane and Peter Gullickson, Spokane. The Puetz Most Valuable Player Award went to Dylan Stensland.
Riverside Golf & Country Club in Portland, Oregon was, as usual, the host of the 2009 Hogan Cup Matches. The Washington team captain was WJGA Executive Director Jerry Fehr. This team had the best score in the final round on Sunday, and placed 4th in the 12-team field. Members were Tyler Salsbury, Enumclaw; Kent Hagen, Covington; Zach Wanderscheid, Goldendale and Li Wang, Sammamish. Tyler finished in a tie for 5th place in the individual portion of the competition with an even par score on this very demanding course.
The PNGA Junior Championships, played in August, were held at Fairwood Golf & Country Club for the girls and at the University of Idaho Golf Course for the boys. The winners were Zach Wanderscheid, Goldendale and Seo Hee Moon, Mukilteo.
The Washington qualifier for the Girls’ USGA Junior Amateur was held in June at the Manito Golf & Country Club in Spokane. Catherina Li, Kent and Jordan Ferreira, University Place qualified at Manito, and we also had Katie Lee, Silverdale and Cherokee Kim, DuPont qualify for the national event at Woodburn, Oregon. At the national tournament in Pinehurst, North Carolina the only qualifier for match play was Katie Lee who lost in the first round. All four players had a great time and enjoyed the opportunity to
compete at this high level.
The USGA boy’s qualifiers were held at Manito and also at Gold Mountain GC in Bremerton. Only two WJGA players, Carl Jonson, Bainbridge Island and Tyler Carlson, Clarkston qualified to play in the national tournament at Grand Rapids, Michigan. Both players played some fine golf, but they did not qualify for match play.
Tumwater Valley Golf Course was again the site of the 36-hole competition to determine which players earned the opportunity to play at Torrey Pines GC in San Diego in the Junior World Golf Championship. On the boys side the qualifiers for San Diego were Tyler Salsbury, Enumclaw; Carl Jonson, Bainbridge Island; Garrett Howard, Spokane and Charlie Mroz, Woodinville. Girls who earned the trip to San Diego were Chelsea May Saelee, Seattle; Alexis Keating, Elma; Amanda Beyke, Federal Way and Sydney Kersten, Spokane. Carl Jonson, Garrett Howard and Alexis Keating made the cut to play in the final round at Torrey Pines, with Carl leading the Washington players with a 12th place finish in this very strong field of international competitors.
The 2010 State Championship was held in District One, and hosted by the Everett Golf & Country Club as part of that club’s 100th anniversary celebration. The assisting courses were Legion Memorial GC and Lynnwood GC. We extend our thanks to those facilities for providing wonderful support to our volunteers during tournament week. The winner of the boys’ title was Dominick Francks, Olympia, with great scores of 74-65-72 for a total of 211, which just edged Garrett Howard, Spokane, by a single stroke. Kimberly Santiago, Lynnwood, won the girls’ championship shooting rounds of 69-77-74 for a total of 220 to also win by one stroke over Sierra Bezdicek, Colbert.
The 2010 Boys’ Junior Americas Cup matches were played at the Isleta Eagle Golf Course in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Washington team, captained by Jim von Doehren, placed in a tie for 8th place. Team members were Carl Jonson, Bainbridge Island; Tyler Carlson, Clarkston; Tyler Salsbury, Enumclaw; and Charlie Mroz, Woodinville. The Puetz Most Valuable Players award went to Carl Jonson.
The Morgan Run Resort in San Diego, California was the site for the Girls’ Junior Americas Cup competition. Team Captain Patty Curtiss led her team to a 7th place finish in the 18 team field. The Washington players were Chelsea May Saelee, Seattle; Jordan Ferreira, University Place; Amanda Beyke, Federal Way and Sydney Kersten, Spokane. The Puetz Most Valuable Player award was won by Chelsea May Saelee.
The 2010 Hogan Cup was played in August at Riverside Golf & Country Club in Portland, Oregon. The Washington team was captained by WJGA Executive Director Jerry Fehr. The team won bronze medals for a strong 3rd place finish in the 12 team field. Washington players were Dominick Francks, Olympia; Frank Olav Garber, Kirkland; Garrett Howard, Spokane; and Scott Kim, Richland.
State Champion Dominick Francks went on to also capture the PNGA Junior Boys Championship at the Oakbrook Golf & Country Club in a very competitive 36-hole match with Chris Babcock, Shoreline.
The Washington qualifier for the USGA Girls’ Junior Amateur was held in Spokane at the Manito G & CC. Washington girls qualifying were Sydney Kersten and Megan Haase, both from Spokane. These two girls traveled to the Olympia Fields CC in Olympia Fields, Illinois, where neither player made the cut to match play, but both made many new friends and enjoyed the experience of national competition.
The 2011 Boys’ Junior Amateur (USGA) was held at the Gold Mountain Golf Complex in Bremerton. Qualifiers for entry into this event were held at Manito G & CC in Spokane and at the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain in Bremerton. WJGA players who qualified were Andrew Whalen, Ephrata; James Feutz, University Place; Chris Tedesco, Gig Harbor and John-Michael Larson, Spokane. Andrew and James qualified for match play, with James losing in the first round. Andrew Whalen advanced to the quarterfinals where he lost a very tough match to the eventual winner, Jordan Spieth.
The Washington qualifier for the Junior World Championships in San Diego was again held at Tumwater Valley Golf Course. This 36-hole competition determines the four boys and four girls that will represent Washington at the beautiful Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego in the 15-17 divisions. Boys qualifying were Brady Calkins, Chehalis; Nick Mandell, Kennewick; Dominick Francks, Olympia and Chris Babcock, Shoreline. In San Diego Dominick, Chris and Nick made the cut to the final day of play with Dominick Francks finishing in 3rd place with fine scores of 72-71-70-75 for a total of even par 288. Chris Babcock tied for 18th place and Nick Mandell finished in 54th place in this very competitive event that includes the best junior players from all over the world. The WJGA girls who qualified to play in San Diego were Jordan Ferriera, University Place; Alexis Keating, Elma; Rachel Lewis, Gig Harbor and Megan Haase, Spokane. Unfortunately none of the girls made the cut to the final day, but they enjoyed the beauty of San Diego and made new friends in the world of junior golf.
The 2011 State Championship was held in Walla Walla for the first time, and it was an event to remember. The host club was Walla Walla Country Club, and the tournament was chaired by former WJGA director Carol Morgan. The assisting courses were Wine Valley Golf Club and Veterans Memorial Golf Course. Perfect weather and wonderful courses set the stage for a great event, and the players and their families definitely enjoyed their visit to the Walla Walla area. We thank the courses, chair Carol Morgan, and all of the volunteers who made this one of the best State Championships ever. The boys’ winner was Tyler Salsbury, Enumclaw, who won the title by one stroke over Chris Babcock, Shoreline. Tyler’s scores were 69-69-72 for a total of 210. Catherina Li, Kent, won the girls’ title by an eleven stroke margin by shooting great scores of 75-75-70 for a total of 215.
The Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, Colorado was the site of the 2011 Boys’ Junior Americas Cup matches. The Washington team placed 5th in the 17 team field, led by Dominick Francks, Olympia, who shot scores of 76-67-72 for a total of 215. Other members of the team, led my Captain Jim von Doehren, were Andrew Whalen, Ephrata; Nick Mandell, Kennewick and Brady Calkins, Chehalis. The Peutz Most Valuable Award went to Dominick Francks.
The Genoa Lakes GC in Reno, Nevada was the site for the Girls’ Junior Americas Cup competition. Captain Patty Curtiss led the team to a 7th place finish in the 18 team field. Members of the team were Megan Haase, Spokane; Chelsea Saelee, Seattle; Jordan Ferriera, University Place and Alexis Keating, Elma. Megan Haase was the winner of the Peutz Most Valuable Player Award.
Riverside Golf and Country Club in Portland was, as always, the site of the Hogan Cup Matches. Captained by WJGA Executive Director Jerry Fehr, the Washington team won the silver medals by finishing second to a fine team from Northern California. The Washington team consisted of Chris Babcock, Shoreline; James Feutz, University Place; Tyler Salsbury, Enumclaw and Frank Garber, Kirkland. Chris Babcock placed third in the individual competition by posting fine scores of 74-72-146 on the very tough Riverside course.
At the end of the 2011 season long-time State Rules Chairman Don Fossum chose to retire from that position. Don has been with WJGA from the beginning, and his contributions to the success of WJGA are endless. Fortunately he is continuing in his other role as State Tournament Coordinator. Don’s job was so large that he designated two people to take over those duties. Paul Lucien takes over as the State Rules Chairman and Mike Peluso is now the State Director of Rules Education and Recruitment. Both have worked under Don for many years and are highly qualified for their new roles.
The next events on the 2012 calendar were the USGA qualifiers. The girls’ qualifier and the boys’ event for eastern Washington were held at the Manito G & CC, while on the western side of the state the boys qualified at Gold Mountain GC. The girls who qualified for the national championship at the Lake Merced GC in San Francisco were Marianne Li, Bellevue; Catherina Li, Kent; Kendall Gray, Federal Way; Bree Wanderscheid, Goldendale and Jordan Ferreira, University Place. Jordan qualified for match play with great scores of 74-72 on the very difficult course, but was defeated in the first match. Our other girls did not qualify for match play, but had the wonderful experience of playing in this great tournament. The WJGA boys who qualified to play at the Country Club of New Hampshire were Derek Bayley, Rathdrum, ID; Erik Ansett, Spokane and Chris Hatch, Mukilteo. Derek was the only one to successfully qualify for match play, and he was defeated in the first round. The course was described by WJGA State Rule Chair Paul Lucien as “extremely tough”, with many long carries over water and other problems. We congratulate all of our players who earned the right to play in the National Championships.
Tumwater Valley Golf Course was again the site of the 36-hole qualifier for the Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego. This competition identified the four boys and four girls who will represent our area at Torrey Pines GC in the 15-17 divisions. The top qualifier for the boys was Frank Garber, Kirkland, who shot scores of 72-66 for a six under par total of 138. The girls were led by Alivia Brown, Gig Harbor, who fired rounds of 75 and 67 for a total of 142, two under par. Other qualifiers were Brady Calkins, Chehalis; Justin Quiban, Maple Valley; Michael Baldeck, Clarkston; Sierra Kersten, Spokane; Celia Beyke, Federal Way and Hannah Kim, Renton. The only WJGA player to make the cut in San Diego was Frank Garber who finished in a tie for 13th place in this very strong international field.
The 36th WJGA State Championship was hosted by District 6, with Meridian Valley CC acting as the host course, assisted by Fairwood G & CC and Riverbend GC. The tournament chair was District 6 Tournament Director Jennifer von Doehren, assisted by State Tournament Coordinator Don Fossum. All 252 players registered on time, and great weather was with us all week. We extend our thanks to all of the many volunteers who worked so hard to make this event a great success. The State Champion for the boys was Ross Kukula, Ocean Park, who wrapped up his title with a fine round of 71 on the last day, for a total of 217, two over par on two very tough golf courses. Catherina Li, Kent, successfully defended the title she won in 2011 in Walla Walla, with fine scores of 77-71-78 for a total of 226.
The boys’ Junior America’s Cup competition was held at the BanBury Golf Club in Eagle, Idaho. Team captain Jim von Doehren led the team that included Frank Garber, Kirkland; Brady Calkins, Chehalis; Michael Baldeck, Clarkston and Chris Hatch, Mukilteo. The team finished in 10th place. Frank Garber won the Puetz Most Valuable Player Award with his strong play, with rounds of 67-73-70 for an even par total of 210.
The Girls Junior America’s Cup event was held at the Wailea Golf Club on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. Team Captain Patty Curtiss led her charges to a strong 5th place finish. Players on her team were Marianne Li, Bellevue; Alivia Brown, Gig Harbor; Chelsea Saelee, Seattle and Alexis Keating, Elma. The Puetz Most Valuable Player Award went to Alivia Brown who shot score of 75-72-71 for a fine total of 218.
At the end of the State Championship the Player of the Year Awards were presented to Frank Garber, Kirkland, who ran up a total of 380.5 points to win by a 185.5 point margin, and to Jordan Ferreira, University Place, who had 315.8 points for the season to win by a margin of 43 points.
The Hogan Cup matches were contested on August 11-12 in Portland, Oregon at the Riverside Golf & Country Club. The team captain was WJGA Executive Director Jerry Fehr. His team consisted of Ross Kukula, Ocean Park; Nick Mandell, Kennewick; Kyle Cornett, Mill Creek and Derek Bayley, Rathdrum, ID. The team finished in 5th place in this 12-team event that was won by the Northern California team. Low scorer for Washington was Ross Kukula with scores of 73-74- 147 followed closely by Nick Mandell with rounds of 73-75-148.
Sadly, June 1st of this year marked the passing of our founder and the mother of Junior Golf in our state, Joan Teats. She is the heart and soul of WJGA and her legacy will always continue in this association. WJGA began forming it’s mission in 1976 and our first State Championship was held in Yakima in 1977. Joan’s vision continues in the work of it’s many truly dedicated volunteers. She is greatly missed.
In June the USGA qualifiers were held in Spokane, at Manito G & CC, and in Bremerton at the Gold Mountain GC. Four Washington girls qualified at Manito for the national championship at Fort Wayne, Indiana. They were Sierra Kersten, Lauryn Keating, Bree Wanderscheid and Alivia Brown. Cherokee Kim also qualified at another site. In Fort Wayne Sierra Kersten was the only player to qualify for match play and she was defeated in the first round. On the boy’s side, only Brian Mogg earned a spot in the national tournament held in Truckee, California. Brian played very well in the 36-hole qualifying and advanced to match play. He also lost his first match. All of our juniors had great experiences by participating in these USGA competitions and made new friends from many different areas.
On June 27th a large field on top WJGA players competed over 36 holes to determine which four boys and four girls would earn the spots allocated to Washington for the 15-17 divisions at Torrey Pines in the San Diego area. Medalist honors went to Frank Garber and Bree Wanderscheid with both posting a 36-hole total of 2 under par 142. Others who qualified at Tumwater Valley Golf Course that day were Brian Moon, Eric Ansett, Andy Liu, Michael Baldeck, Sarah Rhee, Emily Baumgart and Sierra Kersten. Greg Gildea qualified in a Nevada location, and Derek Bayley, as well as Frank Garber, were exempt into the San Diego tournament based on their fine showings in the 2012 event. In San Diego Sierra Kersten make the cut and placed 35th in the very strong international field. On the boys side Frank Garber placed 27th, Eric Ansett tied for 19th and Greg Gildea finished in a tie for 14th place.
The 37th edition of the WJGA State Championship was hosted by The Home Course, thanks to the generosity of the Washington State Golf Association. The assisting courses were Eagles Pride GC for the 14-17 divisions and by Meadow Park GC for the 8-13 players. The event was chaired by Jeff and Jennifer Milbourn. With the help of the many volunteers they did a fabulous job. Good weather prevailed for most of the tournament. Alivia Brown emerged as the champion for the girls, shooting fine consistent scores of 71-71-72 for a total of 214. She won by a two stroke margin over Cherokee Kim. Two good friends from District 6 went down to the wire together in the boys’ competition, with both Joe Harvie and Greg Gildea posting 54-hole totals of 10 under par 206. Joe Harvie won the title in a sudden death playoff. Many thanks to the Milbourns and their committees for conducting such a great tournament.
The University of New Mexico golf course was the site of the Girls’ Junior Americas’ Cup matches. Our Washington team was captained by Patty Curtiss and she led them to a very respectable sixth place finish in the field of eighteen teams. Team members were Sierra Kersten, Spokane; Bree Wanderscheid, Goldendale; Ashley Fitzgibbons, Sammamish and Lauryn Keating, Elma. Sierra was named the Puetz Most Valuable Player award winner on her fine scores of 73-73-75-221.
The boys played at the Wailea Golf Club on the beautiful island of Maui in Hawaii. Team Captain Jim von Doehren led his team to 8th place in the field of 18 teams. The Washington team included Frank Garber, Kirkland; R.J. Manke, Lakewood; Spencer Weiss, Sammamish and Andy Liu, Bellevue. Frank Garber was the low scorer with rounds of 72-69-71 for a total of 2 under par 212. Frank was presented with the Puetz Most Valuable Player award.
After the State Championship the Player of the Year Awards were presented to Frank Garber and Sierra Kersten. Frank won for the second consecutive year, and this year had a total of 327.5 points to win by a margin of 56.5 points. Sierra had 320 points to win by a huge margin of 103.7 points.
In early August the Hogan Cup matches were held at the Riverside Golf and Country Club in Portland, Oregon. WJGA Executive Director Jerry Fehr was the Team Captain. The Washington team performed very well, winning the silver medals with a second place finish. The team members were Joe Harvie, Orting; Greg Gildea, Lakewood; Brian Mogg, Sammamish and Chase Carlson, Tacoma. Joe Harvie was the low scorer with rounds of 73-70-143 to tie for second place in the individual competition.
Continued by Tyler Johnsen, WJGA Executive Director
The team was captained by Chris Curtiss and our six girls representing Washington were Sierra Kersten, Olivia Benzin, Marianne Li, Sarah Rhee, Ashley Fitzgibbons and Emily Baumgart. The girls had a great weekend and Team USA prevailed with a final score of 19.5 points to 16.5 points. USA now leads the series 20-8.
USGA Junior qualifiers were held in late June at Manito G&CC in Spokane and Gold Mountain GC in Bremerton. Four WJGA girls successfully qualified at Manito for the national championship at Forest Highlands in Flagstaff, Ariz. They were Kenedee Peters, Sarah Rhee, Olivia Benzin and Marianne Li. Both Marianne and Sarah successfully made the cut to match play and were defeated in the Round of 64.
On the boys’ side, RJ Manke was medalist at Gold Mountain to earn one of the two spots available. Matt Marrese also earned a qualifying spot at another site in Madera, Calif. Neither boy made the cut to match play but both had great experiences and represented the WJGA and Washington very well.
This year saw a fairly significant change to the WJGA Junior World Qualifier format. No longer did players have to qualify locally at a Sub-District, instead the field was open to the first 144 14-17 year old boys and girls that met the scoring requirements. Tumwater Valley GC once again hosted the event and it was held over 36-holes on Friday, June 27th and Saturday, June 28th. The field was cut after the first round to the low 30 boys and low 20 girls, plus ties. The boys’ cutline ended up at a score of 6-over par 78 while the girls’ cutline was 9-over par 81.
Both the boys and girls divisions competed for four spots to the Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. The players battled rain and wind and we saw some great scores and exciting playoffs. Medalist honors for the boys went to Gabe Spach who fired a 2nd round 5-under par 67 for a two-day total of 2-under 142. Aaron Whalen and Zack Overstreet tied for 2nd place at even-par 144 and Kelley Sullivan was able secure the 4th spot in a 5-way playoff at 1-over 145. In the girls division, Olivia Benzin earned medalist honors at 1-over par 145 which included a 2nd round 1-under par 71. Lauryn Keating took the 2nd qualifying spot at 2-over 146 and Sierra Kersten secured the 3rd spot at 3-over 147. Maddie Nelson got the final qualifying spot in a playoff victory over Katelann Soth. At the Junior World Championship, one of the strongest fields in junior golf worldwide, Aaron Whalen had a terrific week finishing 6th place overall in a field of 212 boys. Sierra Kersten also successfully made the cut on the girls’ side, finishing in a very solid 32nd place in a field of 154 girls.
It was then on to Junior America’s Cup week for both the boys and girls. This year the WJGA hosted the Girls’ Junior Americas Cup at Walla Walla Country Club from July 29-31. Hosting this event is a great honor and something the association only does every 18 years. Our Team Washington girls were represented by Olivia Benzin, Sarah Rhee, Sierra Kersten and Lauryn Keating, and captained by Patty Curtiss. The team had a very nice week finishing in a tie for 5th place out of 18 teams. Sierra Kersten earned team MVP honors with her 14th place individual finish after rounds of 79-70-72 for a total of 221. A huge thank you to Walla Walla Country Club for making the Girls’ Junior Americas Cup week a very special one for all involved.
The Boys’ Junior Americas Cup was hosted by British Columbia this year at Shaughnessy G&CC. The course is one of the finest and most difficult in all of Canada. Our Team Washington boys were represented by RJ Manke, Sam Warkentin, Aaron Whalen and Chase Carlson and captained by Jim von Doehren. The team finished near the middle of the pack in a tie for 8th place out of 18 teams. Sam Warkentin led the team and earned MVP honors with a very good 7th place finish individually after rounds of 77-74-75 for a total of 226.
The 39th WJGA State Championship was held the following week in Spokane and hosted by Manito G&CC with Hangman Valley GC and Wandermere GC serving as the assisting courses. The championship was chaired by Cyndi Kelly and with the help of the many fantastic WJGA volunteers it was a great week. Clear skies and warm weather greeted the players all week and Sam Warkentin emerged as the champion for the boys after rounds of 69-70-71 for a total of 4-under par 210. Matt Marrese gave him a great challenge and finished in 2nd place just one stroke behind at 3-under par 211. On the girls’ side of the competition Olivia Benzin took advantage of a blistering round 1 score of 6-under 66 to capture a 2-stroke victory after rounds of 66-72-73 for a total of 5-under par 211. Sarah Rhee finished in 2nd place with a 3-day total of 3-under par 213. Many thanks to Cyndi Kelly, District 5, and all the amazing volunteers for putting on a great tournament. At the conclusion of the State Championship, our WJGA Players of the Year were named. The honor goes to the overall point leaders based on results from the entire WJGA season. Sam Warkentin was named the Boys Player of the Year and Sierra Kersten was named Girls Player of the Year. Congratulations to Sam and Sierra for a fantastic year.
The 2014 season concluded the weekend following the State Championship at the annual Hogan Cup held at Riverside G&CC in Portland, Oregon. Team Washington was represented by John Sand, Tanner Comes, Grant Cole and Aubrey Mackenzie and Tim Bordeaux served as captain. The team did not have their best week finishing 10th place out of 12 teams but everyone had a fun experience and represented WJGA well. John Sand was the top individual performer with rounds of 78-74 for a total of 8-over par 152 which was a very solid 17th place finish individually.
A final huge thank you to our WJGA Tournament Directors, Rules Officials and the many WJGA volunteers for once again making 2014 a great year for the WJGA.
A month later 101 boys and girls competed at the inaugural Eastern Open held at Sun Willows GC the first weekend of May. Beautiful weather and low scores greeted us as Joe Highsmith captured the overall boys’ title with rounds of 66-71–137 and Jalayne Martinez won the girls’ title with two impressive rounds of 69-72–141.
Both the Western and Eastern Opens were recognized by the Junior Golf Scoreboard Ranking and AJGA Performance Stars ranking.
In early June we had 19 teams compete at Sun Country GC and Suncadia Resort’s Prospector course at the inaugural WJGA State Team event. This fun two-day event saw team members play best-ball the first round and alternate shot the second round. Nathan Cogswell and Colt Sherrell took home top honors for the weekend with two great rounds of 64-70–134.
We also saw a change in the format to the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches which are held annually Memorial Day weekend. This year Idaho was added to the mix and the format saw six girls from Washington, six girls from Oregon, six girls from British Columbia and six girls from Idaho compete against each other in a Curtis Cup style format at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. The team was captained by Chris Curtiss and our six girls representing Washington were Jalayne Martinez, Kelly Hooper, Kenedee Peters, Renee Kwak, Rachel Fujitani and Katelann Soth. It was a great weekend with lots of camaraderie and team Oregon prevailed in a scorecard tie breaking procedure with a great second day comeback over British Columbia. Team Washington finished in third with 7 ½ points.
The USGA Girls’ Junior qualifier was held in late June at Manito G&CC in Spokane. Brittany Kwon and Kenedee Peters successfully qualified at Manito for the national championship at Tulsa Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The boys’ USGA Junior qualifiers were held at The Classic in Puyallup and Hangman Valley in Spokane. Joe Highsmith and Alvin Kwak earned qualifying spots for the national championship held at Colleton River Plantation Club in Bluffton, S.C. Joe Highsmith made the cut to match play and had a great match that went all 18-holes before being defeated 1-up in the Round of 64.
This year’s Junior World Qualifier was once again held over 36-holes at Tumwater Valley GC on June 26-27. The field of 128 players was cut after the first round to the low 30 boys and low 20 girls plus ties. The boys’ cutline ended up at a score of 6-over par 78 while the girls’ cutline was 13-over par 85. Both the boys and girls divisions competed for four spots to the Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. Medalist honors on the boys side went to Sean Vaovasa who shot rounds of 71-71–142. Holden Backes earned the second qualifying spot and Sam Warkentin and RJ Manke earned the final two spots in a playoff. On the girls’ side, Ashley Fitzgibbons took home medalist honors with rounds of 70-76–146. Kenedee Peters and Emily Baumgart earned the 2nd and 3rd qualifying spots and Jalayne Martinez captured the final spot in a three-way playoff. At the national Junior World Championship, one of the strongest fields in junior golf, Sam Warkentin had a terrific week making the cut and finishing in 44th place overall.
Next up in the busy summer calendar were the Junior America’s Cup for both the boys and girls. This year’s Girls’ Junior Americas Cup was hosted by the Wyoming Golf Association at Cheyenne Country Club. Our Team Washington girls were represented by Kenedee Peters, Ashley Fitzgibbons, Emily Baumgart, Danika Palm and captained by Patty Curtiss. The team finished in the middle of the pack with a 9th place finish out of 18 teams. Kenedee Peters earned team MVP honors with a great 8th place finish individually after rounds of 75-80-70–225.
The Boys’ Junior Americas Cup was hosted by the Junior Golf Association of Arizona at Pine Canyon in Flagstaff, Ariz. Our Team Washington boys were represented by Sam Warkentin, Nick Nolan, RJ Manke, Alvin Kwak and captained by Jim von Doehren. The team finished near the middle of the pack in 11th place out of 18 teams. Sam Warkentin led the team and earned MVP honors with a fantastic 3rd place finish individually after rounds of 71-69-68 for a total of 8-under par 208.
The 39th WJGA State Championship was held the following week in Bremerton and hosted by Gold Mountain – Olympic Course with the Gold Mountain Cascade Course and Lakeland Village GC serving as the assisting courses. The championship was chaired by District 2 Director Brady McMullin and with the help of the many amazing WJGA volunteers it was a terrific week.
The week kicked off with the inaugural Chip/Putt and then Drive contest, culminating with the Players Fiesta and Long Drive the evening prior to round 1. In all, 325 players and parents took part in the fun, social gathering. Once tournament play started, clear skies and warm weather greeted the players all week. Sam Warkentin defended his boys’ title after rounds of 71-73-69–213 that included a final round back-nine of 4-under par 32 to distance him from the field. On the girls’ side of the competition Kenedee Peters continued her great summer with rounds of 72-76-73–221 to capture a 7-shot victory over Brittany Kwon.
At the conclusion of the State Championship, our WJGA Players of the Year were named. The honor goes to the overall point leaders based on results from the entire WJGA season. Sam Warkentin was named the Boys Player of the Year and Kenedee Peters was named Girls Player of the Year. Congratulations to Sam and Kenedee for a fantastic year.
The 2015 season concluded the weekend following the State Championship at the annual Hogan Cup held at Riverside G&CC in Portland, Oregon. Team Washington was represented by Chris Mogg, Sean Yi, Joe Highsmith, Zach Evens and Tim Bordeaux served as captain. The team finished in 7th place out of twelve teams and Riverside G&CC once again put on a first class event. Chris Mogg was the top individual performer with rounds of 73-77 for a total of 6-over par 150 which was a very good 14th place finish individually.
And of course a final huge thank you to our loyal WJGA Tournament Directors, Rules Officials and the many WJGA volunteers for making 2015 another wonderful season.
2016 was a terrific year for WJGA that once again saw an expansion to the tournament schedule, and a substantial increase in membership to 1,001 total members. The season kicked off the first weekend of April with the 2nd annual WJGA Western Open being held at The GC @ Hawks Prairie in Lacey. The 36-hole weekend event had a full field of 136 boys and girls that competed over the two days. Max Turnquist of Yakima captured the overall boys title with rounds of 73-72—145 and Brittany Kwon of Bremerton defended her girls’ title with rounds of 75-74—149.
A month later 138 boys and girls competed at the 2nd annual WJGA Eastern Open held once again at Sun Willows GC the end of April. Sun Willows was a wonderful host with great course conditions and beautiful weather for the weekend. Ryan Maine of Spokane captured the overall boys’ title with rounds of 70-68—138 and Brittany Kwon swept the season’s Open events firing rounds of 69-75—144 to win the girls’ overall title.
Both the Western and Eastern Opens were recognized by the AJGA as Performance Stars earning events.
Next up was the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches which are held annually Memorial Day weekend. This event features six girls from Washington, six girls from Oregon, six girls from British Columbia and six girls from Idaho competing against each other in a Curtis Cup style. This year British Columbia hosted the event at Pitt Meadows GC. The team was captained by Chris Curtiss and our six girls representing Washington were Kenedee Peters, Ashley Fitzgibbons, Brittany Kwon, Katelann Soth, Serena Lee and Vreni Todd. The first day of the competition was unfortunately rained out but they were able to play the second day and British Columbia prevailied as the team champions.
The USGA Girls’ Junior Qualifier was held in late June at Meridian Valley CC in Kent. Adithi Anand and Kenedee Peters successfully qualified at for the national championship held at The Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey. District 4 member Therese Warner also successfully qualified for the national championship at her qualifier in Arizona.
The Boys’ USGA Junior qualifiers were held at The Classic GC in Puyallup and Hangman Valley GC in Spokane. The qualifying spots at both sites went to junior golfers from Canada, but WJGA member Joe Highsmith of Lakewood successfully qualified for the national event in Nebraska. Highsmith would eventually go on to advance to the Round of 32 at The Honors Course in Tennessee.
This year’s Junior World Qualifier was once again held over 36-holes at Tumwater Valley GC on June 24-25. The field of 135 players was cut after the first round to the low 30 boys and low 20 girls plus ties. The boys’ cutline ended up at a score of 5-over par 77 while the girls’ cutline was 10-over par 82. Both the boys and girls divisions competed for four spots to the Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. Medalist honors on the boys side went to Alvin Kwak who shot two great rounds of 71-64–135. Sean Kato, Ivan Zhao and Nathan Cogswell earned the other three qualifying spots. On the girls’ side, Brittany Kwon and Alyssa Nguyen earned Co-Medalist honors at 2-over par 146 for the two days. Maddie Nelson and Lauren Eagan earned the final two qualifying spots for the girls. At the national Junior World Championship, one of the strongest fields in junior golf, Sean Kato made the cut and finished 35th place over 72-holes.
Next up on the calendar were the Junior Americas Cups for both the boys and girls. This year’s Girls’ Junior Americas Cup was hosted by the Northern California Junior Golf Association at Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, CA. Our Team Washington girls were represented by Kenedee Peters, Brittany Kwon, Alyssa Nguyen and Adithi Anand. The team had a great week finishing 5th place out of 18 teams. Brittany Kwon earned team MVP honors with a great 11th place finish individually after rounds of 79-74-75–228.
The Boys’ Junior Americas Cup was hosted by the Mexican Golf Federation at the prestigious Guadalajara Country Club. Our Team Washington boys were represented by Sean Kato, Ryan Maine, Carl Underwood and Ian Siebers and captained by Jim von Doehren. What a week it was! The team took home the title with a one stroke victory over San Diego. It was a true team effort as well with each player on the team having at least one round that was under par. Ryan Maine’s terrific week gave him the individual title as well after three great rounds of 70-67-71 for an 8-under par 208 total. Congrats to our four boys and Captain Jim for a memorable week in Mexico!
The 40th WJGA State Championship was held the following week in Bellingham and hosted by Bellingham G&CC with Sudden Valley GC and Lake Padden GC serving as the assisting courses. The championship was chaired by longtime Bellingham G&CC member Jon Rawitzer. Jon and his wife Tessa did an amazing job for us and it was truly a privilege to be at Bellingham G&CC for our State championship for the first time in 18-years.
The week kicked off with the Chipping and Putting contests happening during registration hours culminating with the Long Drive Contest and Players Buffet on the 1st tee the night before the tournament. In all, 350 players and parents took part in the fun, social gathering.
After three rounds of play Sam Warkentin defended his boys’ title once again after rounds of 70-69-71-210. His tap-in birdie on the 18th hole of the final round gave him a one stroke victory over Joe Highsmith, and Warkentin became the first 3-time overall state champion in WJGA’s history.
On the girls’ side of the competition Brittany Kwon capped off a terrific year earning a 3-stroke victory over Ashley Fitzgibbons after rounds of 74-69-74-217.
At the conclusion of the State Championship, our WJGA Players of the Year were named. The honor goes to the overall point leaders based on results from the entire WJGA season. Sean Kato was named the Boys Player of the Year and Brittany Kwon was named Girls Player of the Year. Congratulations to Sean and Brittany for a fantastic year.
The weekend following the State Championship the annual Hogan Cup was held at Riverside G&CC in Portland, Oregon. Team Washington was represented by RJ Manke, Mason Koch, Alvin Kwak and Travis Kay with District 2 Director Brady McMullin serving as Captain. The team had a good weekend taking home the 3rd place medal out 12 teams. RJ Manke was the low individual for Washington with rounds of 70-76 and all four boys had their score count toward the team total in at least one round.
The WJGA summer season capped off in Clarkston at the Inaugural WJGA Tournament of Champions. This invitational event was held over 36-holes at Clarkston G&CC and featured 73 players that had all earned their spot in the tournament through their excellent play. The evening after the first round, all players were invited to take part in the Horse Race. Nearly 50 of the juniors took part, forming 11 total teams with the team of Palmer Guhlke, Serena Nguyen, Josef Koznek and Ben David winning the 4-hole competition.
Travis Kay won the boys’ overall title with two great rounds of 72-72-144 and Julia Bordeaux won the girls’ title with impressive rounds of 80-72-152.
The WJGA season was capped by two very successful events in the fall with the 2nd annual Turkey Shoot Scramble at North Shore GC and the inaugural WJGA Winter Classic at Chambers Bay.
The Turkey Shoot Scramble was held on Veterans Day and featured a full field of 72 teams (144 total players). Each team donated a frozen turkey to Families Unlimited Network for a tremendous cause and a great way to cap off the season.
As always an enormous thank you to the many loyal WJGA Tournament Directors, Rules Officials and WJGA volunteers for making 2016 another wonderful year.
2017 saw WJGA increase its age limit to 18 years and ended the year with a total membership of 1,052 members. The season kicked off the first weekend of April with the 3rd annual WJGA Western Open at Capitol City GC in Lacey. The 36-hole weekend event had a full field of 158 boys and girls that competed over the two days. Alvin Kwak of Mukilteo captured the overall boys title with rounds of 65-74—139 and Kenedee Peters of Ephrata and Janine Surge of Seattle were co-champions for the girls’ title at 5-under 139.
A few weeks’ later 174 boys and girls competed at the 3rd annual WJGA Eastern Open held once again at Sun Willows GC the end of April. RJ Manke of Lakewood captured the overall boys’ title with rounds of 68-70—138 and Brittany Kwon defended her Eastern Open title with rounds of 66-73—139 to win the girls’ overall title.
Next up was a new event with the Inaugural WJGA Players Open being hosted by Indian Canyon GC and The Creek at Qualchan in Spokane. 146 total golfers teed it up the third weekend of May with Joe Highsmith of Lakewood capturing the overall boys’ title with rounds of 69-66—135 and Brittany Kwon winning the girls’ title with rounds of 72-74—146.
A week later was the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches which is held annually Memorial Day weekend. This event features six girls from Washington, six girls from Oregon, six girls from British Columbia and six girls from Idaho competing against each other in a Curtis Cup style format. This year Oregon hosted the event at Illahe Hills CC in Salem. The team was captained by Chris and Patty Curtiss and our six girls representing Washington were Kenedee Peters, Brittany Kwon, Katelann Soth, Alyssa Nguyen, Alexa Clark and Samantha Hui. Team Washington finished in 2nd place behind British Columbia.
The USGA Girls’ Junior Qualifier was held in late June at Meridian Valley CC in Kent. Brittany Kwon and Lauryn Nguyen successfully qualified at for the national championship held at Boone Valley GC in Missouri. Brittany made it to match play and was defeated in her first round match in the Round of 64.
The Boys’ USGA Junior qualifiers were held at The Classic GC in Puyallup and The Club at Black Rock in Coeur d’Alene. WJGA members to qualify were Alvin Kwak, Joe Highsmith, Colt Sherrell and Gunnar Knutson. Both Kwak and Highsmith qualified for match play and advanced to the Round of 32.
This year’s Junior World Qualifier was once again held over 36-holes at Tumwater Valley GC on June 23-24. The field of 139 players was cut after the first round to the low 30 boys and low 20 girls plus ties. The boys’ cutline ended up at a score of 4-over par 76 while the girls’ cutline was 9-over par 81. Both the boys and girls divisions competed for four spots into the Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. Medalist honors on the boys side went to Sean Yi who shot two great rounds of 71-68-139 to win by three shots. Collin Bordeaux, Alvin Kwak and Gunnar Knutson earned the other three qualifying spots. On the girls’ side, Brittany Kwon and Cassie Kim earned Co-Medalist honors at even-over par 144 for the two days. Alyssa Nguyen and Janine Surge earned the final two qualifying spots for the girls.
Next up on the calendar were the Junior Americas Cups for both the boys and girls. This year’s Girls’ Junior Americas Cup was hosted by Southern Nevada at Reflection Bay GC in Lake Las Vegas, NV. Our Team Washington girls were represented by Brittany Kwon, Alyssa Nguyen, Janine Surge and Gihoe Seo. The team finished tied for 10th out of 18 teams. Brittany Kwon earned team MVP honors with a great 8th place finish individually after rounds of 74-69-71–214.
WJGA hosted this year’s Boys’ Junior Americas Cup at The Home Course in DuPont. Our Team Washington boys were represented by Sean Kato, Alvin Kwak, Gunnar Knutson, Collin Bordeaux and captained by Jim von Doehren. Washington finished in 6th place with Collin Bordeaux as the low individual finisher at 11th place with rounds of 71-74-74—2019. It was a big responsibility for WJGA and a great honor to host the JAC and a big thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers for helping make it a successful event.
The 41st WJGA State Championship was held the following week in District 4 and hosted by Meadow Springs CC, Black Rock Creek GC and Columbia Point GC. The championship was chaired by Meadow Springs CC member Craig Anderson. Craig did a terrific job for us and it was wonderful to be back in the Tri-Cities for our State Championship for the first time in 24 years.
The week kicked off with the long putt contest happening during registration hours culminating with the Long Drive Contest and Players Buffet on the 1st tee the night before the tournament. In all, 350 players and parents took part in the fun, social gathering.
After three rounds of play Sean Kato earned the boys’ title after rounds of 72-65-68-205. His three-day total of 11-under par gave him a two stroke victory over Alvin Kwak.
On the girls’ side of the competition Lauryn Nguyen capped off a terrific final round comeback earning a victory over Therese Warner on the 1st playoff hole. Nguyen shot rounds of 69-72-72-213 to win the title.
The weekend following the State Championship the annual Hogan Cup was held at Riverside G&CC in Portland, Oregon. Team Washington was represented by RJ Manke, Nathan Cogswell, Max Turnquist and Sean Yi with District 2 Director Brady McMullin serving as Captain. The team just missed medaling and finished in 4th place out of 12 teams. Sean Yi was the low individual for Washington with rounds of 76-71 to finish in a tie for 4th individually.
The WJGA summer season capped off in Oak Harbor at the 2nd annual WJGA Tournament of Champions. This invitational event was held over 36-holes at Whidbey GC and featured 81 players that had all earned their spot in the tournament through their excellent play. The evening after the first round, all players were invited to take part in the Horse Race. Nearly 50 of the juniors took part, forming 11 total teams with the team of Max Turnquist, Danny Lin, Jordan Medcalf and Malia Schroeder winning the 4-hole competition.
Ryan Park won the boys’ overall title in a playoff against Drew Halili with rounds of 75-72-147, and Alyssa Nguyen won the girls’ title with rounds of 70-78-148.
At the conclusion of the Tournament of Champions, our WJGA Players of the Year were named. The honor goes to the overall point leaders based on results from the entire WJGA season. Alvin Kwak was named the Boys Player of the Year and Brittany Kwon was named Girls Player of the Year. Congratulations to Alvin and Brittany for a fantastic year.
The WJGA season was capped by two very successful events in the fall with the 3rd Annual Turkey Shoot Scramble at North Shore GC and the 2nd Annual WJGA Winter Classic at Chambers Bay.
The Turkey Shoot Scramble was held on Veterans Day and featured a full field of 74 teams (148 total players). Each team donated a frozen turkey to Families Unlimited Network for over 1,000 total pounds of turkeys donated. Dennis Geissler and Austin Darnell had the round of the day firing and 11-under par 61 that included 12 birdies, 1 bogey and 5 pars.
We were fortunate for a great day of weather for our season ending Winter Classic at Chambers Bay on Monday, December 18th. A full field of 104 players competed over the difficult 2015 U.S. Open host course layout. Salatiel Delves in the 16-18 boys division had the low round of the day with a 76, and also breaking 80 were Conrad Chisman with a 77 in the Boys 8-11 division, and Kasey Maralack with a 79 in the Girls 12-13 division. What a terrific venue to finish off the year!
As always an enormous thank you our dedicated WJGA Tournament Directors, Rules Officials and WJGA volunteers for making 2017 another wonderful year.
2018 saw another increase in junior golfers statewide and WJGA ended the year with a total membership of 1,100 members. The season kicked off in late March at the 4th Annual WJGA Western Open at Capitol City GC in Lacey. The 36-hole weekend event had a full field of 200 boys and girls that competed over the two days. Jordan Lee of Tacoma captured the overall boys title with rounds of 71-67 for a 6-under par 138. Brittany Kwon of Bremerton was the Girls’ overall champion with rounds of 72-69 for a total of 3-under par 141.
A few weeks’ later 208 boys and girls competed at the 4th Annual WJGA Eastern Open held once again at Sun Willows GC the end of April. Ian Siebers won the overall boys’ title with rounds of 68-68 for an 8-under par 136, and we saw a 3-way tie for first in the girls’ division naming co-champions Gihoe Seo of Mercer Island, Cassie Kim of Yakima, and Kennedy Knox of Normandy Park all shooting a two-day total of 2-under 142.
Next up was 2nd Annual WJGA Players Open being hosted by The Links Golf Club in Post Falls, Idaho. 160 total golfers teed it up the third weekend of May with Ian Siebers of Bellevue, and Sean Kato of Redmond earning Co-Champion honors at 9-under par 135. Brittany Kwon defended her title, winning the girls’ title with a two-day total of 4-under par 140.
A week later was the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches which is held annually Memorial Day weekend. This event features six girls from Washington, six girls from Oregon, six girls from British Columbia and six girls from Idaho competing against each other in a Curtis Cup style format. This year Oregon hosted the event at Rock Creek GC. The team was captained by Chris Curtiss and our six girls representing Washington were Brittany Kwon, Alyssa Nguyen, Samantha Hui, Cassie Kim, Adithi Anand and Gihoe Seo. Team Washington finished in 2nd place behind British Columbia.
The USGA Girls’ Junior Qualifier was held in late June at Fircrest GC in Tacoma. Morgan Bentley and Lauryn Nguyen successfully qualified for the national championship held at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif.
The Boys’ USGA Junior qualifiers were held at the Gold Mountain Olympic Course in Bremerton, and The Club at Black Rock in Coeur d’Alene. WJGA members to qualify for the national championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey were Drew Warford and Nathan Cogswell.
This year’s Junior World Qualifier was once again held over 36-holes at Tumwater Valley GC on June 23-24. The field of 160 players was cut after the first round to the low 30 boys and low 20 girls plus ties. The boys’ cutline ended up at a score of 3-over par 75 while the girls’ cutline was 9-over par 81. Both the boys and girls divisions competed for four spots into the Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. Co-Medalist honors on the boys side went to a 4-way tie for first, all at 2-under par 142. The four qualifier were Colt Sherrell, Stephen Dai, Zach Stocker and Preston Bebich. On the girls’ side Cassie Kim earned medalist honors shooting rounds of 74-67 for 4-under par 141 total. Brittany Kwon, Alyssa Nguyen and Samantha Hui earned the other three qualifying spots for the girls.
Next up on the calendar were the Junior Americas Cups for both the boys and girls. This year’s Girls’ Junior Americas Cup was hosted by Colorado at Hiwan GC in Evergreen, CO. Our Team Washington girls were represented by Brittany Kwon, Alyssa Nguyen, Cassie Kim and Lauryn Nguyen. The team had a fantastic week earning the 3rd place medal out of 18 teams. Lauryn Nguyen earned team MVP honors with a great 5th place finish individually after rounds of 72-69-76.
On the boys’ side, the Junior Americas Cup was hosted by Montana at the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in Anaconda, MT. Our Team Washington boys were represented by Sean Kato, Colt Sherrell, Drew Warford and Ian Siebers, and captained by Jim von Doehren. Washington finished tied for 5th place with Drew Warford as the low individual finisher with rounds of 71-71-68.
The 42nd WJGA State Championship was held the following week in District 6 and hosted by Fairwood G&CC, Meridian Valley CC and Riverbend GC. The championship was chaired by Fairwood G&CC members Ron Nelson and Jane Sossamon.
The week kicked off with the long putt contest happening during registration hours culminating with the Long Drive Contest and Players Buffet on the 1st tee the night before the tournament. In all, 350 players and parents took part in the fun, social gathering.
After three rounds of play Clayton Thatcher earned the boys’ title after rounds of 69-73-68. His three-day total of 4-under par gave him a two stroke victory over 2017 champion Sean Kato.
On the girls’ side of the competition Adithi Anand capped off a terrific week with a final round 72 to top defending champion Lauryn Nguyen by 4 shots. Anand shot rounds of 74-66-72 to win the title at a total of 2-under par.
The weekend following the State Championship the annual Hogan Cup was held at Riverside G&CC in Portland, Oregon. Team Washington was represented by Nathan Cogswell, Clayton Thatcher, Drew Halili and Jordan Lee with District 2 Director Brady McMullin serving as Captain. The team finished tied for 5th place out of 12 teams. Nathan Cogswell was the low individual for Washington with rounds of 75-73.
The WJGA summer season capped off in Pullman at the 3rd annual WJGA Tournament of Champions. This invitational event was held over 36-holes at Palouse Ridge GC and the evening after the first round, all players were invited to take part in the Horse Race. Nearly 50 of the juniors took part, forming 11 total teams with the team of Cody Oakes, Gigi Lund and Jeff Seong winning.
Blake Kukula won the boys’ overall title with rounds of 72-71, and Angela Park won the girls’ title with rounds of 71-70.
At the conclusion of the Tournament of Champions, our WJGA Players of the Year were named. The honor goes to the overall point leaders based on results from the entire WJGA season. Colt Sherrell was named the Boys Player of the Year and Brittany Kwon was named Girls Player of the Year. Congratulations to Colt and Brittany for a fantastic year.
The WJGA season was capped by two very successful events in the fall with the 4th Annual Turkey Shoot Scramble at High Cedars GC and the 3rd Annual WJGA Winter Classic at Willows Run GC.
The Turkey Shoot Scramble was held on Veterans Day and featured a full field of 74 teams (148 total players). Each team donated a frozen turkey to Families Unlimited Network for over 1,000 total pounds of turkeys donated.
We were fortunate for a great day of weather for our season ending Winter Classic at Chambers Bay on Saturday, December 15th. A full field of 128 players competed with several parents on hand to caddie for their junior golfer.
As always an enormous thank you our dedicated WJGA Tournament Directors, Rules Officials and WJGA volunteers for making 2018 another wonderful year.
2019 WJGA ended the year with a total membership of 1,110 members. The season kicked off in late March at the 5th Annual WJGA Western Open at Capitol City GC in Lacey. The 36-hole weekend event had a full field of 208 boys and girls that competed over the two days. Drew Warford of Snoqualmie won the overall boys’ title with rounds of 69-66 for a 6-under par 138. Lauryn Nguyen of Seattle captured the girls’ overall championship with rounds of 75-67 for a total of 2-under par 142.
A few weeks’ later another full field of 208 boys and girls competed at the 5th Annual WJGA Eastern Open held once again at Sun Willows GC the end of April. Brutal winds greeted the players on round 1 and Drew Warford was able to secure his second consecutive WJGA victory with rounds of 66-73 for a 5-under par 139 total. Taylor Koch of Puyallup won the girls’ overall title with rounds of 74-74 for a 4-over par 148 total.
Next up was the 3rd Annual WJGA Players Open held at The Links Golf Club in Post Falls, Idaho. 170 total golfers teed it up the third weekend of May. The final round saw extremely high winds and incredibly difficult scoring conditions with Daniel Kim of Mukilteo winning the boys’ title with rounds of 73-73 for a 2-over par 146 total. Gihoe Seo of Redmond captured the girls’ title with rounds of 67-76 for a 1-under par 143 total.
A week later was the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches which is held annually Memorial Day weekend. This event features six girls from Washington, six girls from Oregon, six girls from British Columbia and six girls from Idaho competing against each other in a Curtis Cup style format. This year B.C. hosted the event at Quilchena G&CC. The team was captained by Chris Curtiss and our six girls representing Washington were Claire Xu, Brittany Kwon, Kennedy Knox, Cassie Kim, Adithi Anand and Gihoe Seo. Team Washington finished in 2nd place behind British Columbia.
The USGA Girls’ Junior Qualifier was held on July 1st at Everett G&CC. Cassie Kim successfully qualified for the national championship held at SentryWorld GC in Wisconsin.
The Boys’ USGA Junior qualifiers were held at Canterwood G&CC in Gig Harbor and The Club at Black Rock in Coeur d’Alene. WJGA members to qualify for the national championship at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio were Alvin Kwak, Daniel Tiscareno, Tommy Kimmel and Kristof Panke.
This year’s Junior World Qualifier was once again held over 36-holes at Tumwater Valley GC on June 21-22. The field of 160 players was cut after the first round to the low 30 boys and low 20 girls plus ties. The boys’ cutline ended up at a score of 4-over par 76 while the girls’ cutline was 5-over par 77. Both the boys and girls divisions competed for four spots into the Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. Ian Siebers captured Medalist honors on the boys side at 7-under par 137. The four qualifiers were Daniel Kim, Patrick Azevedo, Akshay Anand and Preston Bebich. On the girls’ side Taylor Koch earned medalist honors shooting rounds of 70-70 for 4-under par 140 total. Grace Lee, Alyssa Nguyen and Adithi Anand earned the other three qualifying spots for the girls.
Next up on the calendar were the Junior Americas Cups for both the boys and girls. This year’s Girls’ Junior Americas Cup was hosted by S. California at Bear Creek GC in Murietta, CA. Our Team Washington girls were represented by Cassie Kim, Grace Lee, Taylor Koch and Adithi Anand. For the first time in history our Washington girls finished in 1st place capturing the GOLD medal! Cassie Kim had a memorable week earning Medalist and team MVP honors with a great after rounds of 70-66-73.
On the boys’ side, the Junior Americas Cup was hosted by Alberta at Blackhawk GC in Edmonton, AB. Our Team Washington boys were represented by Ian Siebers, Drew Warford, Daniel Kim and Preston Bebich, and captained by Jim von Doehren. Washington finished in 5th place, but the team saw an incredible performance from Ian Siebers, who shot rounds of 65-67-75 to capture individual medalist honors.
The 43rd WJGA State Championship was held the following week in District 3 and hosted by Fircrest GC, Oakbrook GC and Allenmore GC.
After three rounds of play Akshay Anand earned the boys’ title after rounds of 72-68-62. His three-day total of 9-under par gave him a seven stroke victory over Preston Bebich.
On the girls’ side of the competition Lily McCauley capped off a terrific week with a final round 70 and then beat 2017 champion Lauryn Nguyen with a birdie on the first playoff hole. McCauley shot rounds of 73-70-70 to win the title at a total of 1-under par.
The weekend following the State Championship the annual Hogan Cup was held at Riverside G&CC in Portland, Oregon. Team Washington was represented by Blake Kukula, Akshay Anand, Daniel Tiscareno, and Patrick Azevedo with District 2 Director Brady McMullin serving as Captain. The team finished tied for 6th place out of 12 teams. Blake Kukula was the low individual for Washington with rounds of 72-74.
The WJGA summer season capped off in Clarkston at the 4th annual WJGA Tournament of Champions. This invitational event was held over 36-holes at Clarkston G&CC. Brayden Miles won the boys’ overall title with rounds of 78-71, and Gihoe Seo won the girls’ title with rounds of 74-70.
At the conclusion of the Tournament of Champions, our WJGA Players of the Year were named. The honor goes to the overall point leaders based on results from the entire WJGA season. Daniel Kim was named the Boys Player of the Year and Gihoe Seo was named Girls Player of the Year.
The WJGA season was capped by two very successful events in the fall with the 5th Annual Turkey Shoot Scramble at High Cedars GC and the 4th Annual WJGA Winter Classic at Chambers Bay.
Like most everyone, COVID-19 made 2020 a very strange year for WJGA with several changes, cancellations and rescheduling of events.
We had just over 1,000 members in 2020, a dip from the previous year largely due to the uncertainty of the pandemic and the cancellation of so many events.
We were able to reschedule all of our spring Open events later into the summer and saw excellent participation numbers once we were able to start in mid-July. We had to cancel all of our one-day, Sub-District tournaments across the state this year, and allowed kids to sign-up directly for their District Championship this year, rather than needing to qualify through a Sub-District tournament.
We had a very successful State Championship hosted by Manito G&CC and assisted by Hangman Valley GC and Esmeralda GC. 258 kids in all participated in the State Championship with our overall boys’ champion being Ethan Evans from Glendale CC, and our girls’ champion being Lauryn Nguyen from West Seattle GC.
We held a new, one-time High School team format tournament this summer due to the cancellation of the high school state championship. This turned out to be really popular with 54 3-person teams signing up to compete as a high school golf team at Port Ludlow Resort. The Boys team champions were Redmond High and the Girls team had Co-Champions with Stadium High and Interlake High.
All of the traveling team events had to be cancelled this year; Boys/Girls Junior Americas Cups, Hogan Cup and North Pacific Junior Ladies Matches, so we created a new event named the WJGA Cup held the end of summer. This event was an invitational tournament that featured the top-2 point earning boys & girls from each District across the state competing as a team over 36-holes. It was a fun conclusion to the summer and District 6’s team of Ethan Evans, Cole Reynolds, Lauryn Nguyen and Kennedy Knox were the champions.
At the conclusion of the summer Jahan Bains and Lauryn Nguyen sat atop the points list and were named our Boys & Girls Players of the Year.
We had some amazing volunteer fundraising efforts spearheaded by the “Nguyen Sisters” who teamed up to organize the 1st Annual Nguyen Junior Am Fundraising Tournament at North Shore GC on September 26th, to give back to WJGA.
Each Nguyen sister chaired a major role in the Jr/AM: Brianna is the sponsorship chair, Kylie took care of tee prizes/trophies, Maya handled registration, Lauryn was in charge of tournament rules and contests, while Sofia and Lily took care of raffle prizes and communication with the host course.
Through all their incredible efforts, the Nguyen Sisters helped raise $24,415 for WJGA at the event, a truly remarkable effort. So with that WJGA gives the special group of Nguyen Sisters a very big THANK YOU for their incredible efforts on behalf of WJGA!
The WJGA year was capped by two fun events in the fall with the Turkey Shoot Scramble at Meadow Park GC and the WJGA Winter Classic at Chambers Bay.
The Turkey Shoot Scramble was held on Veterans Day and featured a full field of 60 teams (120 total players). Each team donated a frozen turkey to Families Unlimited Network for over 1,000 total pounds of turkeys donated.
Our season concluded with the Winter Classic at Chambers Bay at the end of December. Again, a full field of 120 players competed, but we saw some horrific weather and were rained out after nine holes with the course starting to flood.
Finally, after 38 years of formal association with WJGA, Jerry Fehr decided to retire as WJGA President. Allen Hatley, from Spokane, was elected as WJGA President at our Annual Meeting. Allen had been Vice President for many years and Jim von Doehren, from Auburn, was elected to take the Vice President vacancy.
As always an enormous thank you to our dedicated Volunteer WJGA Tournament Directors, Rules Officials and WJGA volunteers for making 2020 another wonderful year.
2021 WJGA ended the year with a total membership of 1,229 members, the largest membership total in over 20 years. It was great to have a more normal season after COVID wreaked havoc the previous year.
The season kicked off in late March at the WJGA Western Open at Capitol City GC in Lacey. The event had a full field of 208 boys and girls that competed over the two days. Our second round drew horrendous weather with wind and rain, eventually turning the course unplayable by the afternoon. All of our girls were able to complete 36-holes, but the boys’ division was shortened to an 18-hole tournament. Lauryn Nguyen of Seattle captured the girls’ overall championship with rounds of 78-75 for a total of 1-under par 143. Akshay Anand of Redmond and Rex Wilson of Burlington tied atop the boys’ division and were named Co-Champions after both shooting 6-under par 66 round 1.
A few weeks’ later another full field of 208 boys and girls competed at the WJGA Eastern Open held once again at Veterans Memorial GC in Walla Walla the first weekend of April. Great weather greeted the kids, and Jeff Seong of Tacoma captured the boys title with rounds of 66-72 for a 6-under par 138 total, and Jillian Hui of Kennewick won the girls’ overall title with rounds of 72-72 for an even-over par 144 total.
Next up was the WJGA Players Open held at Liberty Lake GC in Liberty Lake. 200 total golfers teed it up the third weekend of May. We again had beautiful weather for the weekend with Akshay Anand winning the boys’ title with rounds of 67-67 for a 6-uner par 134 total. Kennedy Knox of Normandy Park captured the girls’ title with rounds of 67-69 for a 6-under par 136 total.
Due to the increasing popularity of our spring events, new in 2021 we introduced a “Junior” series of one-day events held the Saturday of our Opens for 8-13 year olds. These proved to be very popular as well with close to 100 players in each “Junior” event played.
Due to the COVID pandemic once again canceling the high school golf season, WJGA again held a School Team Championship on the dates the WIAA State Championship was originally to be held. The event took place over 36-holes at Tumwater Valley GC in late May. Redmond High School won the boys’ title with team member Akshay Anand, Trent Colombe and Arnav Mittal, and Lake Washington High School won the girls’ title with team members Morgan Lee, Triana Fernando, and Karin Yoshida. Graham Moody from Mountain View High won the boys’ individual medalist and Anastacia Johnson from Stadium High won the girls’ individual medalist.
A few days later the Washington Junior Ladies Cup was held in place of the North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches which was cancelled again due to B.C. being unable to cross the border from the pandemic. This event featured 16 girls from across the state competing in two teams of 8 in a Curtis Cup style match play event, and was a tremendous success filling in for the canceled North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches.
In June the trio of Nathan Yocam, Brock Maulding and Baylor Larrabee all qualified for the US Junior Amateur, qualifying at Port Ludlow GC. On the girls’ side, the trio of Lauryn Nguyen, Grace Lee and Kennedy Knox all qualified at McCormic Woods GC for the US Girls’ Junior Amateur.
The IMG Academy Junior World Qualifier was held over 36-holes at Lake Spanaway GC on June 12-13. The field of 160 players was cut after the first round to the low 38 boys and low 18 girls. The boys’ cutline ended up at a score of 4-over par 76 while the girls’ cutline was 7-over par 79. Both the boys and girls’ divisions competed for six spots into the Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. Cole Reynolds captured Medalist honors on the boys’ side at 6-under par 138 and on the girls’ side Claire Xu earned medalist honors shooting rounds of 71-72 for 1-under par 143 total.
Next up on the calendar were the Junior Americas Cups for both the boys and girls. This year’s Girls’ Junior Americas Cup was hosted by Idaho at Banbury GC in Boise, ID. Our Team Washington girls were represented by Grace Lee, Suzie Tran, Claire Xu, and Amber Li. The team had a really good week finishing in 4th place out of 16 teams. Grace Lee earned team MVP honors after a great week with rounds of 72-68-67.
On the boys’ side, the Junior Americas Cup was hosted by Wyoming at the Powder Horn Club in Sheridan, WY. Our Team Washington boys were represented by Max Herendeen, Akshay Anand, Cole Reynolds, Kevin Hollomon and captained by Jim von Doehren. Washington finished in 8th place, with Max Herendeen earning team MVP honors after rounds of 73-64-71.
The 45th WJGA State Championship was held the following week in District 2 and hosted by Glendale CC, Willows Run GC and Bellevue GC.
After three rounds of play Ethan Evens earned the boys’ title after rounds of 71-67-70. His three-day total of 8-under par gave him a four-stroke victory over Peter Dionne-Yahr.
On the girls’ side of the competition Kennedy Knox capped off a terrific season winning the girls’ title after rounds of 73-66-72. Her 5-under par total gave her a three-shot victory over Grace Lee.
The weekend following the State Championship the annual Hogan Cup was held at Riverside G&CC in Portland, Oregon. Team Washington was represented by Alex Knox, Conrad Brown, Rex Wilson, and Jeff Seong with District 2 Director Brady McMullin serving as Captain. The team finished tied for 7th place with Alex Knox as the low individual for Washington with rounds of 72-74.
The WJGA summer season capped off at Desert Canyon for the WJGA Cup where all six districts were represented by two boys and two girls for a district team event. District 2 won the event with team members Isaac Elaimy, Ryder Odem, Amber Li and Grace Lee.
At the conclusion of the WJGA Cup, our WJGA Players of the Year were named. The honor goes to the overall point leaders based on results from the entire WJGA season. Akshay Anand was named the Boys Player of the Year and Kennedy Knox was named Girls Player of the Year.
The WJGA season finished with two events in the fall with the annual Turkey Shoot Scramble at High Cedars GC and WJGA Winter Classic at Chambers Bay.
The Turkey Shoot Scramble was held on Veterans Day and featured a full field of 76 teams (152 total players). Each team donated a frozen turkey to Families Unlimited Network for over 1,000 total pounds of turkeys donated. It was a terrible day of weather unfortunately, but the teams all had a good time braving the rain and wind.
The Winter Classic was unfortunately canceled the day of the event due to unplayable course conditions after torrential rain.
Of course, a very big thank you needs to go to our dedicated WJGA Tournament Directors, Rules Officials and WJGA volunteers for making 2021 a great year.