MOSES LAKE — Dane Huddleston of Woodland qualified for the U.S. Amateur by winning the 103rd Washington Men’s Amateur Championship on Thursday at The Links at Moses Pointe.
The Woodland High grad entered the final round two shots behind second-round leader Jackson Suh from Bellevue.
He lit up the scorecard in the final round with eight birdies against just two bogeys. Huddleston’s final round of 66 was good enough to give him a three-shot victory over second-place finisher Max Herendeen from Bellevue.
“It feels great to get the win,” Huddleston said. “Getting my name on the trophy with some pretty big names like Joel Dahmen feels great.”
Huddleston credited his driver and his game off the tee as the keys to his success this week.
“I hit a lot of fairways, and when you’re hitting fairways, it makes golf easier,” Huddleston said. “I got to attack pins, and things went well.”
For the first time, the Washington Men’s Amateur was recognized as an official USGA Exemption Event, and the winner received an invitation to the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.
“I’m pumped for the U.S. Amateur,” Huddleston said. “I played in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball this year and got a taste of a USGA event, so I’m really excited.”
Huddleston, 19, is coming off a wire-to-wire victory at the Royal Oaks Invitational on June 9. He finished tied for second in the Washington Men’s Amateur last year and competed on the Utah Valley University men’s golf team.
In addition to the 2024 U.S. Amateur exemption, the top three finishers in this championship — Huddleston, Herendeen, and Benjamin Borgida from Shoreline — have all received exemptions into final qualifying for the 2025 U.S. Amateur.
