The 124th Pacific Northwest Golf Association Men’s Amateur Championship is underway at Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Washington, drawing 155 golfers to compete for the prestigious Macan Cup through July 11.
Eli Geddy of Tustin, California, sits atop the leaderboard after the opening stroke-play qualifying round Monday, posting an 8-under-par score. The field remains competitive, with Nily Naik of Lake Oswego, Oregon, trailing by one shot at 7-under, and Byungho Lee of Plano, Texas, in third place at 6-under-par.
An additional three golfers—Ben Borgioda of Shoreline, Washington; Naoki Easterday of Portland, Oregon; and Theodore Snyder of Gig Harbor, Washington—sit in a tie for fourth place at 5-under-par. Strong opening play defined the qualifying phase, with 59 golfers shooting even par or better during Round 1.
Championship Format and Notable Competitors
The tournament operates under a traditional two-phase format. Stroke-play qualifying took place July 6-7, with the top 64 finishers advancing to single-elimination match play. The championship concludes Saturday with the final match contested over 36 holes—double the length of all preceding match-play rounds, which are played over 18 holes each.
Sam Renner, the two-time defending champion and a 2026 Washington State University graduate, carded even par in Round 1, placing him in a tie for 45th after the opening qualifying day. Ranked 162nd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Renner claimed victories at both the 2024 and 2025 PNGA Men’s Amateurs.
Other competitive entries include Bradley Mulder, who won the 2026 Washington Men’s Amateur; Byungho Lee, champion of the 2026 Texas Amateur (his 117th amateur victory); and Theodore Snyder, ranked 64th in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Wyatt Brook, a two-time recent winner—capturing the 2026 British Columbia Mid-Amateur and the 2025 PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur—is also competing.
Palouse Ridge’s Golf Heritage
Palouse Ridge opened in 2008 on land that formerly held the Washington State University Golf Course, which operated since 1925. The facility was designed by renowned golf architect John Harbottle III and is owned by Washington State University but managed by CourseCo.
This marks the third time Palouse Ridge has hosted a PNGA championship in recent years. The club previously hosted the PNGA Men’s Amateur in 2014, the PNGA Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur in 2018, and the PNGA Junior Boys’ and Girls’ championships in 2021.
Championship History
The PNGA Men’s Amateur, first contested in 1899, ranks among the longest-running amateur golf championships in North America. The competition has crowned notable champions throughout its 127-year history, including R.L. MacLeay, who won three consecutive titles from 1903 to 1905, and Jack Westland, who achieved a similar three-peat from 1938 to 1940. Tiger Woods is among past champions of the event.
The trophy awarded to the champion bears the name of A.V. Macan, who won the PNGA Men’s Amateur in 1913.
What Comes Next
The championship continues through Saturday, with match-play rounds narrowing the field each day. The championship final, contested over 36 holes, will determine the 2026 PNGA Men’s Amateur champion and the recipient of the Macan Cup. Tournament results and bracket information are available through the championship’s official tournament hub.