June 28, 2008

MOSES LAKE, Wash. - Gonzaga University junior Derek Cheney of Richland shot a final-round 79 Friday to finish at 308 and tied for 45th in the 82nd Washington State Golf Association Men's State Amateur Championship at the Links at Moses Pointe.

Richard Lee of Covington followed Thursday's course and tournament record 62 by shooting a solid 1-over par 73 in Friday's final round to claim the title. His 13-under par 275 is one of the lowest final scores in the history of the championship.

Only nine players finished under par in the 72-hole event over the 7,276-yard, par 72 layout.

Lee had fired a stunning 10-under par 62 in swirling winds in the third round, giving him a five shot cushion heading into the final round which he still held at the end of the day Friday.

But it wasn't easy. Lee bogeyed the second hole, then triple-bogeyed the par-3 third hole, making things interesting. "My whole approach to start the round was to play steady golf, and make them come to me," said Lee. "But that's not what happened." After his shaky start, he settled down. "I could have fallen apart after that start," said Lee. "I really started to grind it out. I stayed steady." He did, recording five birdies over his final 15 holes.

Lee grabbed the title for good on the 11th hole, a 561-yard par-5. With a narrow landing area for the tee shot with water on the left and out-of-bounds on the right, Lee drilled a driver into a hot summer crosswind, splitting the fairway, his ball settling 120 yards beyond his two playing partners, Derek Berg and Jarin Todd, both of whom had hit irons off the tee on the difficult driving hole. Lee birdied the hole and never looked back. Berg and Todd finished tied for second, along with defending champion Joel Dahmen of Clarkston who shot his second consecutive 5-under par 67.

Lee will be joining the University of Washington's men's golf team in the fall as a junior, transferring from Bellevue Community College.

This year marked the 30th Anniversary of Fred Couple winning the WSGA Men's Amateur Championship. Couples won this championship in 1978 at Olympia Country and Golf Club. A native of Seattle, Couples has become one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour. Couples' record as a professional includes over a dozen victories, including the 1992 Masters.

The Men's Amateur is one of six state championships conducted annually by the WSGA. Other championships include the WSGA Men's Best-Ball, WSGA Women's Best-Ball, WSGA Men's Amateur, WSGA Member Club Team Championship and WSGA Senior Men's Amateur.