Storylines For 2010 Men's State Team Championship

Youngest team – Vermont (average age 24.6)
Oldest team – Indiana (average age 57.0)

Players who competed in 2010 U.S. Amateur (25) – Brad Benjamin (Illinois); Jeff Champine (Michigan); Erik Christopherson (Minnesota); Robert Gerwin II (Ohio); Randy Haag (California); Michael Harrington (Colorado); Scott Harvey (North Carolina); Brian Higgins (Massachusetts); Tim Jackson (Tennessee); Joseph Juszczyk (Michigan); Sean Knapp (Pennsylvania); Mark Knecht (Kentucky); Robert Leopold (Rhode Island); Eric Lilleboe (Michigan); Nick MacDonald (New Hampshire); Brent Martin (Maryland); Mike McCoy (Iowa); Glenn Northcutt (Alabama); Harry Rudolph III (California); Jeff Scohy (Ohio); Nathan Smith (Pennsylvania); Tim Spitz (New York); Frank Vana (Massachusetts); Todd White (South Carolina); Jeff Wilson (California)

Players who have competed in all nine USGA Men’s State Team Championships (2) – Keith Decker (Virginia); Frank Vana (Massachusetts)

USGA champions in field (3) – Brad Benjamin (Illinois, 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links); Tim Jackson (Tennessee, 1994 and 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateur); Nathan Smith (Pennsylvania, 2003 and 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur)

Players who have won Men’s State Team title in field (4) – Keith Decker (1995, Virginia); Tim Jackson (2003, Tennessee); Sean Knapp (2009, Pennsylvania); Nathan Smith (2009, Pennsylvania)

USA Walker Cup players in field (2) – Tim Jackson (Tennessee, 1995 and 1999); Nathan Smith (Pennsylvania, 2009)

World Amateur Team Championship participants in field (2) – Elvin Gonzalez (Puerto Rico, 2000); Erick Morales (Puerto Rico, 2004)

Copa de las Americas participants in field (2) – Erick Morales (Puerto Rico, 2010); Nathan Smith (Pennsylvania/USA, 2010)

Interesting tidbits from the individual competitors in the field (alphabetical by state):

ALABAMA
Steve Hudson, 51, of Birmingham, carded a 66 in the final round of the 2005 USGA Men’s State Team Championship at Berkeley Hall to help Alabama finish in second place. He also helped Alabama place third at the 2007 event.

Glenn Northcutt, 23, of Dothan, received the 2009 Cliff Hare Award given annually to the top senior student-athlete at Auburn University. Growing up in the game, Northcutt often played solo because many of his friends at his home course were golfing with older players, so Northcutt goes out of his way to mentor younger players to offer motivation and encouragement.

ALASKA
Adam Baxter, 28, of Anchorage, once appeared on a 1999 segment of the Get Golf television show with host John O’Hurley on the USA network. He also owns dual citizenship between the U.S. and Australia and listed his most memorable golf moment as being able to tee off at midnight in Alaska.

Greg Sanders, 46, of Anchorage, is a member of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship Committee who also has won four Alaska State Amateur titles.

ARIZONA
Ken Kellaney, 54, of Phoenix, is a 10-time Arizona Player of the Year who has competed in more than 15 USGA championships. He has been inducted into the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame and Rockford (Ill.) City Golf Hall of Fame.

ARKANSAS
Chris Jenkins, 40, of Little Rock, comes from a family of golfers. His brothers, Rick and Tim are golf professionals, while his parents and nephews work at courses. He is a three-time Arkansas Player of the Year who has won 12 state golf titles.

Wes McNulty, 41, of Pine Bluff, has claimed 15 state titles and is a five-time Arkansas Player of the Year. He is a farmer for Waterloo Farms.

Neal Westbrook, 40, of Russellville, played professionally for 13 years before regaining his amateur status in 2006. He now works as a poultry broker for Adkins & Associates.

CALIFORNIA
Randy Haag, 51, of Burlingame, has won over 120 local and regional tournaments in the past 30 years and is a six-time club champion at The Olympic Club, site of the 2012 U.S. Open. He was the low amateur at the 2010 British Senior Open and is a five-time U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist.

Harry Rudolph III, 40, of La Jolla, is the proprietor of Harry’s Coffee Shop, a local landmark in the San Diego area. He recently regained his amateur status after a long layoff following a distinguished junior and college career, where he helped the University of Arizona win the 1992 NCAA Division I title.

Jeff Wilson, 47, of Fairfield, earned his fifth USGA stroke-play qualifying medal at last month’s U.S. Amateur, shooting a 10-under-par 62 at The Home Course. A Toyota car dealer, Wilson also was the low amateur at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

COLORADO
Michael Harrington, 38, of Colorado Springs, once struck out 20 batters in a seven-inning game. The financial advisor is also quite adventurous, listing on his bio sheet that he enjoys scuba diving, hiking and jumping off cliffs. His wedding took place in front of 18 million viewers on the Lifetime network in an Orlando, Fla., ceremony that was closed to the public.

James Kurtenbach, 29, of Highlands Ranch, started two golf-related online businesses in the last two years: PutterLounge.com and Regripit.com.

Jon Lindstrom, 43, of Broomfield, was the 2008 Colorado Mid-Amateur Player of the Year.

CONNECTICUT
Mike Ballo Jr., 22, of Stamford, is the two-time champion of the prestigious Ike Tournament (2009 and 2010), one of the major events on the Metropolitan Golf Association competitions calendar. He recently completed his eligibility at St. John’s University.

Bill Hermanson, 53, of East Lyme, was the 1991 Connecticut Player of the Year. He is representing Connecticut for the third time in the USGA Men’s State Team Championship.

Ryan Leahey, 25, of Orange, is a Type 1 diabetic who plays golf with an insulin pump to keep his blood-sugar levels normal. He recorded his first hole-in-one at age 12 just two weeks after being diagnosed with diabetes.

DELAWARE
Chase Brockstedt, 36, of Rehoboth Beach, has an interesting back story. His father escaped communist East Germany with other members of his family and emigrated to the U.S. when he was 16, despite not knowing any English. He put himself through school and helped his family do the same. Chase is now a successful lawyer who once obtained a $13 million wrongful death jury verdict in a nursing home case. Brockstedt also represented Delaware in the 2005 State Team Championship.

Greg Wolfe, 38, of Newark, was captain of the Princeton University golf team in 1993-94

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Mychael Cohn, 30, of Washington, has been a vegetarian for 17 years.

Richard Ledwidge, 43, of Washington, has a PhD in biochemistry and works as a chemist reviewer for the Food and Drug Administration.

FLORIDA
Jon Veneziano, 39, of Eustis, was a semifinalist at the 1988 U.S. Junior Amateur and lost to eventual champion Ryan Moore in the round of 16 at the 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links. The reinstated amateur (2000) was a third-team All-American at the University of Hartford in 1993.

GEORGIA
Adam Cooper, 26, of Columbus, won the 2010 Georgia Mid-Amateur title and was runner-up in 2009.

Doug Hanzel, 53, of Savannah, has a scholarship set up in his name at his alma mater, Kent State University.

David Knoll Jr., 38, of Dalton, is a four-time Georgia Player of the Year recipient who also garnered the 2008 Tommy Barnes Award, given by the Georgia State Golf Association for its overall best player, male or female.

HAWAII
Reo Saito, 17, of Honolulu, is one of three teenagers in the field. He is a senior at the Iolani School.

IDAHO
Everett Grimes, 34, of Nampa, picked up his clubs for the first time in 2½ years this past spring. He lists three occupations: bartender, plumber and golf shop staff. He is representing Idaho for a third time in the USGA Men’s State Team Championship.

ILLINOIS
Brad Benjamin, 23, of Rockford, became the fifth left-handed USGA champion when he claimed the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links. But Benjamin is unique in that he putts right-handed. He graduated from the University of Memphis in 2009.

John Ehrgott, 35, of Peoria, is involved in the golf design/construction business. The 2008 reinstated amateur lists his most memorable golf moment as playing in the 2000 PGA Tour John Deere Classic.

Todd Mitchell, 32, of Bloomington, played briefly as an infielder in the New York Yankees minor-league system. He was the runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur.

INDIANA
Randy Nichols, 57, of Brookville, has competed in more than 30 USGA championships and was a semifinalist at the 2008 USGA Senior Amateur. This will be his sixth time representing Indiana at the Men’s State Team Championship.

Skip Runnels, 57, of Hammond, has won the Men’s City Championship in his hometown a record 15 times.

Sam Till Jr., 57, of Fort Wayne, was inducted into the Fort Wayne Golf Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2009, he won both the Indiana Mid-Amateur and Indiana Senior Open titles.

IOWA
J.D. Anderson, 36, of West Des Moines, has been a diabetic for the past 14 years.

Jon Brown, 43, of Urbandale, is representing Iowa for a fifth time in the Men’s State Team Championship. He also was the state’s player of the year in 2004 and 2006.

Mike McCoy, 47, of West Des Moines, is a nine-time Iowa Player of the Year and two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist (2005 and 2008). He was the stroke-play medalist at the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur and is competing in his sixth USGA Men’s State Team Championship. On Sunday, McCoy captured the Crump Cump at Pine Valley for a fourth time, beating Scott Rowe in the final, 2 and 1.

KANSAS
Bryan Norton, 51, of Mission Hills, was the runner-up at the 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur, but that final had one of the strangest endings in USGA history. Playing the ninth hole of the morning 18, Norton had an awkward stance just above the lip of a fairway bunker. After hitting the shot, Norton fell backwards and tore a calf muscle that forced him to retire from the match.

Tyler Shelton, 38, of Fairway, has been a player of the year in two states: Missouri (1994) and Kansas (2005). He also has won two state father/son titles.

KENTUCKY
Robert Crockett II, 32, of Louisville, is a direct descendant of Davy Crockett.

Mark Knecht, 47, of Paducah, had two holes-in-one on the same hole (No. 13) at The Honors Course outside of Chattanooga, Tenn., a year and a day apart. He used the same club (8-iron) both times. He also plays the drums in his church band.

Andy Roberts, 30, of Owensboro, won the 2010 Kentucky Open and has been given the keys to his hometown of Owensboro on two occasions. He also gave himself quite a 23rd birthday present by registering his only career hole-in-one.

LOUISIANA

Two weeks before Grady Brame, 53, of Hammond, was to be married in 1991, he tore his ACL and he and his new bride had to cancel a scheduled honeymoon to the California wine country. Almost 20 years later, Brame and his wife, Kellie, are getting that long-awaited trip to wine country, thanks to making the Louisiana squad for the USGA Men’s State Team Championship.

Patrick Christovich, 32, of New Orleans, won the 2010 Louisiana Mid-Amateur.

MAINE
Ricky Jones, 38, of Thomaston, tied the course record at Charles River Country Club near Boston at the 2003 USGA Men’s State Team Championship with a 64 in the first round.

Seth Sweet, 16, of Madison, is the youngest competitor in this year’s field and says he can’t listen to music prior to playing golf for fear of singing the lyrics and being too loud. He also plays on his high school basketball team in the winter.

MARYLAND
Jeff Lim-Sharpe, 27, of Silver Spring, is the all-time leading scorer in basketball at Sandy Spring Friends School. He also always wears slacks when he plays golf.

Brent Martin, 23, of La Plata, has raced dragsters since the age of 8. The recent Winthrop University graduate also has won the Southern Maryland Amateur the last four years.

Michael Meyer, 39, of Rockville, finished third at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel.

MASSACHUSETTS
John Hadges, 50, of North Easton, grew up at the same golf club (Thorny Lea) as the late legendary golf writer Herbert Warren Wind, who received the USGA’s Bob Jones Award in 1995 and remains the only journalist to receive the Association’s highest honor.

Brian Higgins, 35, of Bellingham, was the 2008 Massachusetts Player of the Year. He also says he never wears shorts when playing golf, even when the temperatures reach into the 90s.

Frank Vana, 48, of Andover, has competed in all nine USGA Men’s State Team Championships and qualified for more than 25 USGA championships, including last month’s U.S. Amateur. He also Monday qualified for the 2005 PGA Tour Deutsche Bank Classic at the TPC of Boston. Also was named the Massachusetts Player of the Decade for the 1990s and 2000s.

MICHIGAN
Jeff Champine, 38, of Rochester Hills, acquired his private airplane pilot’s license in 2009 and now operates Unicus Air.

Joseph Juszczyk, 23, of Dearborn Heights, was a two-time NCAA Division II All-America at Wayne State, where he completed his eligibility this past spring.

Eric Lilleboe, 22, of Okemos, posted seven wins and five runner-up finishes during his college career at Division II Ferris State, where he was a first-team All-American in 2010. He completed his eligibility this past spring in the PGA Professional Management Program and hopes to have a career in the golf industry.

MINNESOTA
Erik Christopherson, 34, of Stillwater, became friendly with PGA Tour star Anthony Kim while he was still attending high school in La Quinta, Calif. Christopherson’s dad, who was the 2005 club champion at PGA West at the age of 63, befriended Kim while living in the Coachella Valley.

Johnny Larson, 25, of New Ulm, still owns the Minnesota high school state scoring record. A diehard Minnesota Vikings fan, he has been to every home game the last three years.

Greg Melhus, 34, of Rogers, will be competing in his fourth Men’s State Team Championship, but first for Minnesota. He represented North Dakota in his three previous appearances. In 2000, he was named the North Dakota Athlete of the Year by The Associated Press.

MISSISSIPPI
Fletcher Johnson, 17, of Belden, became the youngest winner of the Mississippi State Amateur this summer. He also qualified for the 2009 U.S. Amateur.

Lane Pippin, 35, of Ocean Springs, is a two-time winner of the Mississippi State Open (2002 and 2010) who once had back-to-back aces – No. 3 at the University of Mississippi Golf Course – on the same hole, using a 5- and 4-iron, respectively.

Scott Rhodes, 40, of Ridgeland, says he is the luckiest person in the world on the golf course. He was the runner-up in the Mississippi State Open in 2009 and 2010, and won the 2006 Mississippi Mid-Amateur.

MISSOURI
Scott Hovis, 36, of Jefferson City, is the executive director of the Missouri Golf Association. He lists playing in the Missouri Golf Association Father/Son Championship that he started as most memorable moment in golf.

Brad Nurski, 31, of St. Joseph, won the 2010 Missouri State Amateur and currently is a conductor/switchman for BNSF Railway.

MONTANA
Brandon Davison, 31, of Billings, earned medalist honors all four years at the Montana Class B High School Tournament and helped his school win the team title three of those four years.

Bill Dunn, 44, of Missoula, won the 2009 Montana State Amateur and is representing the state for a third time in the Men’s State Team Championship.

Mark Mance, 42, of Whitefish, should feel right at home this week. He is a member at Mayacama Golf Club. He also is a former star tennis player who once beat Pete Sampras in the 16 and Under Nationals and claimed a pair of USTA national doubles titles with partner Drew Wager.

NEBRASKA
Ryan Nietfeld, 34, of Omaha, is believed to be the only person to have won every state championship conducted by the Nebraska Golf Association (junior through men’s). He was known at the University of Nebraska as the leisure sports king by his fraternity brothers for his prowess in golf, pool, darts and cards. He also has registered four holes-in-one in four different states (Kansas, New Mexico, Florida and Nebraska).

John Sajevic, 54, of Fremont, is representing his state at the Men’s State Team Championship for a seventh time. He only missed the first two competitions in 1995 and ’97.

NEVADA
Brady Exber, 54, of Las Vegas, is competing in his seventh Men’s State Team Championship. The nine-time Southern Nevada Player of the Year also has been inducted into the Southern Nevada Golf Hall of Fame.

Steve Fink, 53, of Las Vegas, is playing in his first USGA championship since the 1981 U.S. Amateur, where he missed the match-play cut.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
James Cilley, 29, of Penacock, was the state free throw shooting runner-up when he was 9 years old.

Nick MacDonald, 22, of Lebanon, was an all-state ice hockey player in high school, but played golf at the University of Hartford, where he earned Academic All-American honors this past season as a senior.

Ken Nilson, 57, of Center Harbor, quit the game for 12 years to raise his family, but has gotten more serious since having total knee replacement surgery three years ago.

NEW JERSEY
Thomas Gramigna, 41, of Haddonfield, shot a second-nine 31 to win this year’s Philadelphia Mid-Amateur. He is a three-time New Jersey Mid-Amateur champion.

NEW MEXICO
Patrick Hanlon, 31, of Las Cruces, had an interesting golf experience while playing the Old Course at St. Andrews in 2000. His tee shot at the par-4 18th hole ended up in the pub at the bottom of the Rusacks Hotel, going right through a window in the process. He also is a past president of the Sun Country Golf Association.

Antone Salome, 47, of Soccoro, played on the same New Mexico State golf team with PGA Tour players Bart Bryant and Tom Byrum.

Matthew Williams, 31, of Albuquerque, is the executive director of the Sun Country Golf Association.

NEW YORK
Hans Albertsson, 39, of Sleepy Hollow, advanced to the semifinals of the 1987 U.S. Junior Amateur, defeating medalist Harry Rudolph III in the quarters. Rudolph is also in this year’s State Team field. Albertsson also recorded one of his nine holes-in-one in the first round of the 1992 NCAA Division I Championship at the University of New Mexico course.

Ken Riter, 47, of Buffalo, birdied the 18th hole to win the 2009 New York State Mid-Amateur Championship by one stroke.

Tim Spitz, 34, of Pittsford, was the runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He broke his leg while skiing in 2002 and had a metal rod inserted into his leg. The municipal bond specialist still skis and is looking to take up curling this winter.

NORTH CAROLINA
Scott Harvey, 32, of Greensboro, operates the Sedgefield Driving Range. His father, Bill, was a competitive golfer (played in 18 U.S. Amateurs) who is in the North Carolina Golf Hall of Fame. Scott won the member/guest with his father at Sedgefield C.C., site of the annual Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour. He lists that event as his most memorable golf experience.

Paul Simson, 59, of Raleigh, has been the stroke-play medalist at three of the last four USGA Senior Amateurs (2006, 2008 and 2009) and has participated in at least one USGA championship the past 26 years. He was voted the 2007 World Senior Player of the Year by Scratch Players/Golfweek. He also once shot a 62 in the final round of the Carolinas Mid-Amateur that included two eagles – one a hole-in-one – and two bogeys. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame this past May.

NORTH DAKOTA
Todd Baumgartner, 61, of Bismarck, not only is the oldest player in the field, but he was inducted into the North Dakota Golf Hall of Fame this year.

Rick Kuhn, 40, of Bismarck, was the 2007 North Dakota Player of the Year and is representing his state for a third consecutive time at the Men’s State Team Championship.

Tim Skarperud, 32, of Grand Forks, was a member of the 2000 University of North Dakota NCAA Division I national champion ice hockey team. He also played two years of pro hockey with the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings farm team) in the American Hockey League.

OHIO
Robert Gerwin II, 43, of Cincinnati, once shot a 59 at the Camargo Club, a prominent golf club in Cincinnati. He was a semifinalist at the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur, and has competed in 25-plus USGA championships.

Jeff Scohy, 33, of Columbus, graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2000 and claimed the Armed Services Championship three times (2001, 2004 and 2006) and represented the U.S. at the World Military Golf Championship. He served seven years of active duty as an Air Force Acquisitions Officer and has twice been to Iraq for short periods. He joined the Air Force Reserves in 2009.

Bill Williamson, 33, of Cincinnati, won the 2009 Ohio Mid-Amateur Championship and will be competing in his second Men’s State Team Championship.

OKLAHOMA
Heath Myers, 26, of Kingfisher, has a well known brother-in-law: PGA Tour player Charles Howell III. Myers’ best golf moment came when he played Augusta National with his grandfather and Howell, the runner-up at the 1996 U.S. Junior Amateur.

Jay Smith, 38, of Edmond, earned his yellow belt in karate this summer with his 6-year-old son, Gavin. He also spent a year in college abroad at the University of Dundee in Scotland and played the Old Course at St. Andrews at least 20 times. The school was 12 miles from St. Andrews.

OREGON
Jim Dunlap, 38, of Beaverton, caddied for LPGA Tour player Christina Kim at the 2009 Safeway Classic at Pumpkin Ridge, where she finished tied for eighth due to three bogeys down the stretch.

Chad Sawyer, 28, of West Linn, has had two career holes-in-one. Both occurred on the same hole (No. 12 at Oregon Golf Club) in 1999, four months apart.

PENNSYLVANIA
Artie Fink Jr., 40, of Altoona, has rolled 56 perfect 300 games and was a member of the Professional Bowlers Association Tour for seven years.

Sean Knapp, 48, of Oakmont, has competed in more than 25 USGA championships and was a semifinalist at the 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He also helped Pennsylvania win the 2009 USGA Men’s State Team title. A vice president of financial sales, he currently is volunteering as the assistant head coach for the Riverview High girls’ basketball team. Knapp was an all-state basketball player in high school and played at Indiana (Pa.) University, an NCAA Division II school.

Nathan Smith, 32, of Pittsburgh, is a two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion who also helped Pennsylvania win the 2009 USGA Men’s State Team title as well as playing on the victorious 2009 USA Walker Cup Team. He joined Trip Kuehne as the only player in USGA history to win a U.S. Mid-Amateur title, State Team title and Walker Cup in the same year. Kuehne accomplished the feat in 2007.

PUERTO RICO
Erick Morales, 27, of San Juan, qualified for this year’s PGA Tour Puerto Rico Open, where he shot rounds of 76-71 to miss the cut by five strokes. He also won the 2009 Caribbean Amateur.

RHODE ISLAND
Charlie Blanchard, 45, of North Providence, was a two-time first-team All-America lacrosse player at Ohio Wesleyan and played professional lacrosse for the Boston Blazers from 1990-96.

Robert Leopold, 25, of Cranston, spent most of his childhood in England, but went to college in the U.S. (Rollins) and earned his MBA last year from Bentley College in Massachusetts. He was the 2009 Rhode Island Player of the Year. He lost in the first round of match play at last month’s U.S. Amateur.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Todd White, 42, of Moore, is a high school history teacher and also is the JV golf coach. He claims to be the only die-hard Chicago Cubs fan living in South Carolina. He was the 2004 Carolinas Golf Association and South Carolina Golf Association player of the year.

Steve Liebler, 51, of Irmo, was the South Carolina Golf Association Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006. He is competing in his 12th USGA championship.

Brent Roof, 32, of Columbia, finished seventh individually at the 2007 USGA Men’s State Team Championship to help South Carolina take fifth place.

SOUTH DAKOTA
Ryan Jansa, 37, of Sioux Falls, met his wife, Julie, at New Mexico State on one of his first days on campus. She competed for South Dakota in the 2009 USGA Women’s State Team Championship.

TENNESSEE
Tim Jackson, 51, of Germantown, is a two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and has been the low amateur at the last two U.S. Senior Opens, with his teenage son, Austin, on the bag. He also has represented the USA twice in the Walker Cup Match. He is competing in his eighth Men’s State Team.

Todd Burgan, 41, of Knoxville and Jeff Golliher, 49, of Knoxville are members at the same golf club, Holston Hills. Holston Hills hosted the 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. Golliher faced Charles Howell III in the first round of the 1996 U.S. Amateur at Pumpkin Ridge and took him to five extra holes before losing.

TEXAS
John Bearrie, 41, of Arlington, caddied for Joel Edwards on the PGA Tour from 1991-93.

Rob Couture, 35, of Dallas, works as a sports agent for the Quorum Sports Group, whose clients include 2010 U.S. Open qualifier Robert Gates and 2009 U.S. Amateur semifinalist Charlie Holland.

UTAH
Dan Horner, 32, of Sandy, was the Utah Golf Association Player of the Year in 2008. He won the 2008 Utah Amateur and the 2010 Salt Lake City Open.

Darrin Overson, 35, of Provo, is a former pro (played on the Canadian Tour in 1995) who once spent two years in England on a Mormon mission.

Kirk Siddens, 47, of Salt Lake City, was the Utah Golf Association Player of the Year in 2006. He won the 2010 Utah Mid-Amateur and was runner-up in last year’s Utah Amateur.

VERMONT
Eric Lajeunesse, 22, of Barre, broke three fingers while playing goalie in soccer. He twice won the Vermont High School Division I state golf title (2004 and 2006).

VIRGINIA
Keith Decker, 50, of Martinsville, is one of two golfers to have competed in all nine USGA Men’s State Team Championships. He helped Virginia win the inaugural event in 1995 at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla.

WASHINGTON
Derek Berg, 29, of Kenmore, has aspirations of competing in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii.

Michael Haack, 31, of Bellevue, is a bar manager who claimed the 2010 Washington Mid-Amateur title.

Erik Hanson, 45, of Kirkland, pitched in the big leagues for Seattle, Toronto, Boston and Cincinnati from 1989-98, including an All-Star Game appearance in 1995 while with the Red Sox. That year, he went 15-5. He compiled an 89-84 career record with a 4.15 ERA.

WEST VIRGINIA
Jonathan Bartlett, 33, of Lewisburg, lost to eventual champion Tiger Woods in the semifinals of the 1992 U.S. Junior Amateur at Wollaston Golf Club in Milton, Mass. A reinstated amateur as of 2009, Bartlett won the West Virginia State Amateur and received a sponsor’s exemption into the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic this summer, where he made the 36-hole cut.

Bartlett is not the only player on his team with a Tiger Woods memory. Patrick Carter, 42, of Huntington, was grouped with Woods during the stroke-play qualifying portion of the 1996 U.S. Amateur, which was Woods’ final triumph as an amateur. Carter was a quarterfinalist at the 2003 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont and reached the semifinals of the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Kiawah Island Club.

Steve Fox, 56, of Huntington, won the West Virginia State Amateur in 1988 and 1994.

WISCONSIN
Pat Boyle, of South Milwaukee, is a U.S. history teacher in the Cudahy school district. He also is representing Wisconsin in the State Team Championship for a fifth time.

Kevin Cahill, 50, of Waukesha, is a former top-ranked junior and college tennis player who won the Wisconsin state high school title in 1976, ’77 and ’78. He also played briefly as a pro in 1982.

WYOMING
John Hornbeck, 52, is the Wyoming Senior Golf Association Champion in 2009 and 2010. He also has aced the sixth hole at Sinclair Golf Course twice, eight years apart.

Todd Griffin, 37, of Casper, is a two-time state player of the year who has compiled three state amateur and five state mid-amateur titles.

Compiled by USGA staff writer David Shefter. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.