NW players qualify for U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach

Jacob Koppenberg of Bellingham, Wash. shot rounds of 66-66 to earn medalist honors in leading the field of 71 players who competed in 36-hole U.S. Amateur Sectional qualifying at the par-70 Lake Spanaway Golf Course in Tacoma, Wash.

Along with Koppenberg, the other player to advance from this qualifier is Ian Siebers of Bellevue, Wash., who shot rounds of 71-66.

Koppenberg and Siebers will now advance to the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship, which will be held August 13-19 at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.

This is the fourth U.S. Amateur that Koppenberg has qualified for, having previously made it in 2008, 2015 and 2017. He played collegiately at Western Washington University in Bellingham. As a college player, he was the 2008 and 2009 GNAC Player of the Year and a two-time All-American after transferring from the University of Idaho. In 23 tournaments with WWU, Koppenberg recorded four wins and still holds the school record with a 71.40 career scoring average. He is now a volunteer assistant coach for the school’s men’s golf team, helping them to back-to-back GNAC championships in 2016 and 2017.

• Riley Elmes (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Shawn Lu (Corvallis, Ore.) qualified for the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship, after sectional qualifying was held at Eagle Point Golf Club in Eagle Point, Ore.

The qualifier featured 36-holes, with two qualifying spots available.

Elmes is a rising senior at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Calif. He led almost at the get-go during Tuesday morning’s first round, tallying six birdies on the front nine to shoot 30 on his first nine holes. A solid 1-under par 35 on the back nine had Elmes at 7-under par (65) after the first 18 holes, with a two shot lead.

Elmes’ second 18 was not too different – he once again tallied seven birdies, and his only slip of the day came on the par-3 third hole during his second round, where he tallied a double-bogey. Elmes finished the qualifier with scores of 65-67 – 132 (-12), earning medalist honors.

The Lake Oswego native has a successful track record in OGA events. He won the 2015 OGA Tournament of Champions, also winning the 2014 Oregon Junior Amateur and Oregon Junior Stroke Play. In 2017, Elmes advanced to the semifinals of the Oregon Amateur. Earlier this year, Elmes and his former college teammate, Billy Pollock (Eugene, Ore.), played in the 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.

• Derek Bayley of Rathdrum, Idaho shot rounds of 64-74 to earn medalist honors in leading the field of 50 players who competed in 36-hole U.S. Amateur Sectional qualifying at the par-72 Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash.

Along with Bayley, the other player to advance from this qualifier is Chris Hatch of Mukilteo, Wash., who shot rounds of 70-69.

Bayley and Hatch now advance to the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship, which will be held August 13-19 at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.

Bayley blistered the morning round in the qualifier, firing 11 birdies and making only four pars on his way to an 8-under 64.

Bayley continues his summer of quality golf. Last week he won the Rosauers Open Invitational in Spokane, Wash., competing against the region’s PGA professionals. This is the second time he has won the Rosauers, which is one of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA’s majors, having previously won it in 2016. Earlier this month he made it to the Round of 32 of the PNGA Men’s Amateur.