BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Former Western Washington University golf standout Chris Hatch has qualified for the 2018 U.S. Amateur Golf Championship that will be held Aug. 13-19 at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California.
Hatch (Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) will join former Viking Jake Koppenberg (Everett, WA), who qualified for his fourth U.S. Amateur after winning sectional qualifying on Monday at Lake Spanaway Golf Course in Tacoma.
Hatch was a four-year standout for the Vikings from 2013-17, earning four Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Star awards, including three first-team honors. He finished his WWU career with a scoring average of 73.84 (+2.21 to par), tied for 8th-lowest in program history.
Hatch secured the second qualifying spot at Wednesday’s sectional qualifying at Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, finishing with a 36-hole score of 5-under-par 139 on the par 72 layout. He opened with a 2-under-par 70 and clinched a two-stroke separation on the runner-up spot with a 3-under-par 69 in the afternoon round. Playing on his home collegiate course, Washington State’s Derek Bayley won medalist honors with a one-stroke victory over Hatch finishing with a 6-under-par 138 (64-74). Hatch was 5-under after 12 holes of the afternoon round, and had a one-shot lead over Bayley, but recorded a pair of bogeys coming in to finish one shot back.
The 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship returns to Pebble Beach for the fifth time, and first since 1999. Spyglass Hill Golf Course will co-host the championship during medal play. The field of 312 players will play two rounds in stroke play, with the field paired down to the round of 64 in match play that will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 15. More information on the 2018 U.S. Amateur can be found at USGA.org.
