Tsawwassen golfer Jace Minni continued his sizzling play south of the border, capturing the prestigious 101st edition of the Washington State Amateur Men’s Championship at the Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, WA.
The one-time Beach Grove Golf Club junior held off Bellevue’s Max Herendeen to put his name on a trophy that includes Washington State natives Fred Couples and Joel Dahmen. Minni was coming off an impressive performance at last month’s Zone 4 Championship that included a course record 63 at King’s Links in Ladner and a 66 the following day at Beach Grove.
“It feels amazing. It’s a really great tournament to win and it’s giving me a lot of confidence heading into my summer. I’m very proud of what I have just done,” said Minni who is headed into his junior season at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA.
The 2020 South Delta Secondary graduate opened the tournament with back-to-back 73s on the 6,900-yard par-72 layout, then clutched up with a 4-under 68 in the final round to edge Herendeen (75-71-69) by one shot. They were the only two players in the tournament to finish under par. Herendeen is a high school standout committed to continue his career at the University of Illinois.
Minni got his final round started in a huge way thanks to an eagle on the par-4 402-yard No. 2 hole. He also played the back nine at 3-under.
The difference maker came on the 167-yard par-3 14th hole. Minni made birdie while Herendeen made bogey. The two-shot swing put Minni on top of the leaderboard and in the driver’s seat. The two players then matched birdies on 16 and went par-par to finish.
“I knew where I stood, I was looking at the leader board a little bit,” added Minni, “I knew that birdie (on 16) was very crucial because he (Herendeen) was going to make his tap-in.”
Minni will now take aim at the 120th edition of the B.C. Amateur, slated for July 11-15 at Christina Lake.
Golf is a big part of his family with his father and coach Scott Minni being a longtime B.C. PGA teaching professional and his sister Amanda just concluded her university career at Oregon State.
