Washington Open/2018

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By Nathan Pajutee, Tournament Intern

The 92nd Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational was held at the beautiful Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent on May 21-23, sporting a full field of PGA Professionals and amateurs. While the tournament was hotly contested, Ryan Benzel of Sahalee CC came back from a two-stroke deficit in the final round to emerge victorious and claim his fourth Pacific Northwest Section major.

Preceding the tournament was the Pro-Am, held on May 19-20, which benefitted the Folds of Honor Foundation, a charity that awards academic scholarships to the families of injured or fallen American soldiers. 29 sponsored teams of four competed, featuring a PGA professional as the fifth player. The format of the pro-am was a two-day net, best 2-of-5 shamble. Amazingly, Ryan Benzel and the Taylormade/adidas team edged out a victory by one shot. While the competition of the pro-am was certainly a big draw, the event raised a total of $91,500 for the Folds of Honor Foundation. This remarkable figure is over $30,000 more than last year. Next year, the hope is to reach a six-figure milestone.

After the festivities of the pro-am, it was time to begin the 2018 Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational. Boasting a field of 168 PGA Professionals and amateurs, the stage was set for a fantastic competition. Following two rounds, Ryan Benzel was three-under par, trailing leader Derek Berg, also of Sahalee CC, by two shots.

Going into the final round, Benzel realized, “Anytime you start a final round behind the leader, you need help. I felt like I would need to shoot 4 under par to win, so I knew I needed to stick to my plan and keep the ball in play, make smart shot decisions, and get a couple putts to go in. That's what I tried to do.”

The last few holes of the final round were filled with drama, with multiple shot swings from each of the players among the top five of the leaderboard. Triumphantly, Benzel finished the tournament at 3-under par and beat out the competition by a single shot. This major makes it four for Benzel, who is only a win at the Northwest Open away from completing a PNW PGA grand slam.

On his victory, Benzel responded, “Winning the Washington Open is one of those moments I'll remember forever. The scoring was close all day between many people and to be able to play my game, stick to my plan, and finish at the top of the leaderboard feels fantastic! This continues to validate the hard work and practice that I put in is beneficial.”

We’d like to thank Meridian Valley CC, Muckleshoot Casino, all of our great sponsors and the players for making the 2018 Washington Open Invitational and Pro-Am such a special occasion. We thank the Folds of Honor Foundation and we celebrate the achievement of raising $91,500 for their cause. Host PGA professionals Greg Manley, Tyler Clavin, Carissa Simmons, Brian Thornton and Matt Herman did an excellent job along with Superintendent Craig Benson and his grounds crew staff. We look forward to returning to Meridian Valley CC in 2019 for the 93rd edition of the Washington Open Invitational.

Final results: https://2018secmuckleshootwa.golfgenius.com/pages/1138827