Pacific Northwest Golf Association Selects 2021 Players of the Year
The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) has announced the 2021 Players of the Year for the region. Those honored include Men’s Player of the Year, Joe Highsmith of Lakewood, Wash.; Women’s, Mary Scott Wolfe of Beaverton, Ore.; Men’s Mid-Amateur, Robbie Ziegler of Tualatin, Ore.; Women’s Mid-Amateur, Amanda Jacobs of Portland, Ore.; Senior Men’s, Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash.; Senior Women’s, Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore.; Junior Boys’, Jeevan Sihota of Victoria, B.C.; and Junior Girls’, Kennedy Knox of Normandy Park, Wash.
This is the first time since 2019 that the PNGA has named Players of the Year. The annual awards were not given out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click here for a list of playing accomplishments of this year’s recipients and for a complete history of all past PNGA Player of the Year recipients.
Men’s Player of the Year:
Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash.)
This marks the second year in a row that Highsmith has been named the PNGA Men’s Player of the Year. In 2021, Highsmith qualified for and played in the U.S. Open, finished runner-up at the Pacific Coast Amateur, made the Sweet 16 at the Western Amateur and finished as a quarterfinalist at the North & South Amateur. Highsmith is currently a senior on the Pepperdine University men’s golf team and helped lead the team to an NCAA national title last spring.
Women’s Player of the Year:
Mary Scott Wolfe (Beaverton, Ore.)
Wolfe, a sophomore on the Gonzaga University women’s golf team, put together an impressive year to capture PNGA Women’s Player of the Year honors. She won the Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur Championship, finished runner-up at the Oregon Amateur Championship, finished T10 at the West Coast Conference Championship and T3 at the OGA Tournament of Champions.
Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year:
Robbie Ziegler (Tualatin, Ore.)
A longtime competitor on the Mid-Amateur circuit, this marks the first time Ziegler has captured PNGA Player of the Year honors. In 2021 he qualified for and played in the U.S. Amateur Championship, finished runner-up in the Oregon Mid-Amateur Championship, won the OGA Tournament of Champions and finished T32 in the Oregon Open Invitational.
Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year:
Amanda Jacobs (Portland, Ore.)
This marks the fourth time that Jacobs has earned the PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year award, and first since 2017. Among the highlights on the year for Jacobs, she won the Pacific Northwest Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, finished runner-up at the Oregon Mid-Amateur Championship and was a semifinalist at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.
Senior Men’s Player of the Year:
Tom Brandes (Bellevue, Wash.)
This is the eighth time that Brandes has received the PNGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year award. In 2021, he won the Washington Senior Men’s Amateur for the eighth time, won the Pacific Northwest Senior Men’s Amateur for the sixth time and finished runner-up at the Senior Washington Open.
Senior Women’s Player of the Year:
Lara Tennant (Portland, Ore.)
Tennant earned the PNGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year award for the fourth consecutive year. In 2021, she won the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship for the third year in row, won the Oregon Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, advanced to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and finished runner-up at the California Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.
Junior Boys’ Player of the Year:
Jeevan Sihota (Victoria, B.C.)
Sihota earned the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Player of the Year award after a standout 2021 season. Competing against seasoned tour professionals, he finished runner-up at the Mackenzie Tour DC Bank Open, finished T6 at the Mackenzie Tour ATB Financial Classic, and finished T29 at the Mackenzie Tour Golf BC Championship. He also finished T23 at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.
Junior Girls’ Player of the Year:
Kennedy Knox (Normandy Park, Wash.)
Knox, a freshman on the University of Washington women’s golf team, enjoyed a historic 2021 season. She won the Washington Women’s Amateur, the Seattle Women’s Golf Association City Championship, the Washington Junior Golf Association Girls’ State Championship and the Pacific Northwest Junior Girls’ Amateur, making her the first golfer ever to make a clean sweep of the four respective championships in the same season.
The PNGA Player of the Year candidates are nominated by the state and provincial golf associations that comprise the PNGA (British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington), and are selected by a vote of the PNGA Championship Committee.
The Pacific Northwest Golf Association was founded on February 4, 1899. It is a 501c3 charitable, international, amateur golf association dedicated to preserving the true spirit of golf by supporting its member associations, conducting quality championships, and promoting activities beneficial to golfers in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Today, the PNGA remains committed to being a truly regional organization by providing additional benefits to the membership of each Member Association.
