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USGA MEN'S STATE TEAM

What You Need to Know

By USGA

| Sep 23, 2016 | FAR HILLS, N.J.

New York's Stewart Hagestad will compete in the Men's State Team just two weeks removed from his dramatic victory in the U.S. Mid-Amateur. (USGA/Chris Keane)

Men's State Team Home

There are 52 three-player teams in the field, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Melvin Morales, 15, of Humacao, Puerto Rico, is the championship’s youngest competitor. The championship’s oldest competitor is Chip Lutz, 61, of Reading, Pa.

The average age of the Men’s State Team competitors is 36.02 years old.

California, comprised of 17-year-olds Ashwin Arasu of San Diego, Dan Erickson of Wittier, and Tom Hutchison of San Jose, is the youngest team in the field. With a combined age of 51, it is the only all-teen team in the field.

Wyoming has the oldest team, with a combined age of 174, and is comprised of Dave Balling, 57, of Cody; John Hornbeck, 58, of Saratoga; and Mark Isakson, 59, of Sheridan.

Field by age (Note: While there are no age limits for this championship, players currently competing for a college team are ineligible to play, per NCAA rules):

Teens – 8 players
20s – 43 players
30s – 52 players
40s – 32 players
50s – 18 players
60s – 3 players

There are seven USGA individual champions in the field:

  • Stewart Hagestad, 25, of New York, N.Y. (2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur)
  • Scott Harvey, 38, of Kernersville, N.C. (2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur)
  • Tim Jackson, 57, of Germantown, Tenn. (1994, 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateurs)
  • Chip Lutz, 61, of Reading, Pa. (2015 U.S. Senior Amateur)
  • Michael McCoy, 53, of Des Moines, Iowa (2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur)
  • Nathan Smith, 38, of Pittsburgh, Pa. (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateurs; 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Todd White, 48, of Spartanburg, S.C.)
     

There are eight USGA runners-up in the field:

  • Tom Brandes, 60, of Bellevue, Wash. (2015 U.S. Senior Amateur)
  • Kenny Cook, 36, of Noblesville, Ind. (2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur)
  • Marc Dull, 30, of Winter Haven, Fla. (2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur)
  • Scott Harvey, 38, of Kernersville, N.C. (2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur)
  • Todd Mitchell, 38, of Bloomington, Ill. (2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur)
  • Brad Nurski, 37, of St. Joseph, Mo. (2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur)
  • Ben Warnquist, 23, of Olney, Md. (2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Brandon Cigna)
  • Bill Williamson, 39, of Cincinnati, Ohio (2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur)


Five players in the field have represented the USA Team in the Walker Cup Match: Tim Jackson (1995, 1999); Michael McCoy (2015); Nathan Smith (2009, 2011, 2013); Todd White (2013); Scott Harvey (2015).

Four players have won a USGA Men’s State Team title, including Zach Atkinson, 34, of Colleyville, Texas, who will help Texas defend its 2014 title. Others are Keith Decker, 56, of Martinsville, Va. (Virginia – 1995); Tim Jackson (Tennessee – 2003); and Nathan Smith (Pennsylvania – 2009).

Keith Decker is playing in his 12th USGA Men’s State Team Championship. He will be the only player to compete in all 12 championships, all for Virginia, which won in 1995 and finished runner-up in 2001.

Sixty-two players in the field competed in the 2014 USGA Men’s State Team at French Lick (Ind.) Resort. Three teams remained completely intact: Indiana, Vermont and Virginia. The returning players are: Matt Johnson (Alabama); Greg Sanders (Alaska); Ken Tanigawa (Arizona); Trey Shaap (Arkansas); Jon Lindstrom and Nick Nosewicz (Colorado); Jay Whitby (Delaware); Endel Liias (District of Columbia); Andrew Chin and Tyler Ota (Hawaii); Todd Mitchell and Kyle Nathan (Illinois); Kenny Cook, Sean Rowen and Brett Widner (Indiana); Gene Elliott and Michael McCoy (Iowa); Denver Haddix (Kentucky); Brandon Aydlett and Patrick Christovich (Louisiana); Andrew Slattery and Ricky Jones (Maine); Mark Cusic (Maryland); Herbie Aikens and Matt Parziale (Massachusetts); Tom Werkmeister (Michigan); Jesse Bell and Trent Peterson (Minnesota); Richard Berkmeyer and Brad Nurski (Missouri); Jim Coleman (Montana); Ryan Nietfeldt (Nebraska); Ryan Kohler (New Hampshire); Trevor Randolph and Michael Stamberger (New Jersey); Scott Harvey (North Carolina); Rick Kuhn (North Dakota); Jeff Scohy and Bill Williamson (Ohio); Heath Myers (Oklahoma); Justin Kadin and Jesse Heinly (Oregon); Nathan Smith (Pennsylvania); Erick Morales (Puerto Rico); Bobby Leopold and Brad Valois (Rhode Island); Todd White (South Carolina); Craig Smith (Tennessee); Zach Atkinson (Texas); Dan Horner (Utah); Eric Lajeunesse, Garren Poirier and Bryan Smith (Vermont); Keith Decker, Scott Shingler and Justin Young (Virginia); Tom Brandes and Erik Hanson (Washington); Sam O’Dell and Philip Reale (West Virginia); and John Hornbeck and Mark Isakson (Wyoming). 

Thirty-three players in the field competed in the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, conducted at the Country Club of Birmingham:

  • Joe Alfieri, 47, of Lutz, Fla. (lost in the Round of 32)
  • Zach Atkinson (lost in the Round of 16)
  • Richard Berkmeyer, 42, of Wildwood, Mo. (missed cut)
  • Patrick Christovich, 38, of New Orleans, La. (lost in the Round of 64)
  • Kenny Cook, 36, of Noblesville, Ind. (Round of 32)
  • Mark Cusic, 41, of California, Md. (lost in the Round of 32)
  • John Engler Jr., 37, of Augusta, Ga. (lost in the Round of 16)
  • Woodie Eubanks, 40, of Trussville, Ala. (missed cut)
  • Steven Groover, 31, of Birmingham, Ala. (missed cut)
  • Erik Hanson, 51, of Kirkland, Wash. (lost in the Round of 32)
  • Scott Harvey (lost in the Round of 32)
  • Clay Homan, 44, of Starkville, Miss. (missed cut)
  • Bryan Hoops, 47, of Chandler, Ariz. (missed cut)
  • Dan Horner, 38, of Sandy, Utah (missed cut)
  • Keith Humerickhouse, 40, of Eagle, Colo. (lost in the Round of 16)
  • Tim Jackson (lost in the Round of 32)
  • Philip Lee, 31, of White Bluff, Tenn. (missed cut)
  • Bobby Leopold, 31, of Coventry, R.I. (lost in the Round of 64)
  • Michael McCoy (champion)
  • Robby McWilliams, 48, of Benton, La. (missed cut)
  • Todd Mitchell (lost in the quarterfinal)
  • Matt Parziale, 29, of Brockton, Mass. (missed cut)
  • Andy Roberts, 36, of Owensboro, Ky. (missed cut)
  • Jeff Scohy, 39, of Bellbrook, Ohio (missed cut)
  • Scott Shingler, 44, of Haymarket, Va. (lost in the Round of 64)
  • Craig Smith, 29, of Nashville, Tenn. (lost in the Round of 16)
  • Nathan Smith (lost in the Round of 32)
  • Michael Stamberger, 44, of Brielle, N.J. (missed cut)
  • Ken Tanigawa, 48, of Paradise Valley, Ariz. (lost in the quarterfinal)
  • Brad Valois, 28, of Warwick, R.I. (lost in the Round of 16)
  • Jay Whitby, 29, of Wyoming, Del. (missed cut)
  • Todd White (lost in the Round of 64)
  • Bill Williamson (runner-up)


Four players attended college in Alabama:

  • Auburn University        

            o Steven Groover, 31, of Birmingham, Ala.

  • University of South Alabama

            o Josh Lampley, 33, of Gulfport, Miss.

  • Troy University

            o Matt Johnson, 36, of Dothan, Ala.

  • University of North Alabama

            o David Gies II, 27, of Charlotte, N.C.
 

The following competitors have played in a USGA championship in 2016 (58 total players):

  • U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, May 21-25, at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. – 21 players

            o Herbie Aikens, 34, of Kingston, Mass., and Matt Parziale (missed cut)
            o Joe Alfieri (eliminated in two-for-six playoff with partner Michael Barbosa)
            o Richard Berkmeyer and Brad Nurski (missed cut)
            o Stephen Cox, 30, of Jonesboro, Ark., and Beau Glover, 31, of North Little Rock, Ark. (missed cut)
            o Patrick Christovich (lost in the semifinals with partner Garrett Rank)
            o Scott Harvey and Todd Mitchell (lost in the Round of 16)
            o Reid Hatley, 35, of Spokane, Wash. (missed cut with partner Nate Hair)
            o Dan Horner (missed cut with partner Darrin Overson)
            o John Kelly, 27, of East Longmeadow, Mass. (eliminated in six-for-two playoff with partner Billy McDonald)
            o Josh Lampley, 33, of Gulfport, Miss. (lost in the Round of 32 with partner Brandon Laird)
            o Jon Olson, 36, of Ankeny, Iowa (lost in the Round of 32 with partner Jon Brown)
            o Andy Roberts (lost in the Round of 32 with partner Robert Crockett II)
            o Scott Shingler and Justin Young, 38, of Salem, Va. (lost in the Round of 16)
            o Nathan Smith and Todd White (lost in the Round of 16)
            o Ben Warnquist (runner-up with partner Brandon Cigna)

  • U.S. Open, June 16-19, at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club – 1 player

            o Christopher Crawford, 22, of Bensalem, Pa. (missed cut)

  • U.S. Senior Open, August 11-15, at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio – 5 players

            o Tom Brandes (missed cut)
            o Gene Elliott, 54, of West Des Moines, Iowa (missed cut)
            o John Hornbeck (missed cut)
            o Chip Lutz (tied for 37th, earned low-amateur honors)
            o Michael McCoy (missed cut)

  • U.S. Amateur, Aug. 15-21, at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. – 14 players
      o Tom Brandes (missed cut)
      o Christopher Crawford, 22, of Bensalem, Pa. (missed cut)
  •   o Marc Dull, 30, of Winter Haven, Fla. (missed cut)
      o Woodie Eubanks (missed cut)
      o Stewart Hagestad (missed cut)
      o Scott Harvey (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Michael McCoy (missed cut)
      o Sean Rowen, 42, of Greenwood, Ind. (missed cut)
      o Craig Smith (missed cut)
      o Nathan Smith (missed cut)
      o Anthony Sorentino, 38, of Shelby Township, Mich. (missed cut)
      o Geoff Vartelas, 22, of Cromwell, Conn. (missed cut)
      o Ben Warnquist (missed cut)
      o Todd White (lost in the Round of 64)

  • U.S. Mid-Amateur, Sept. 10-15, at Stonewall in Elverson, Pa. – 33 players
      o Joe Alfieri (lost in the Round of 32)
      o Ryan Brimley, 27, of Herriman, Utah (missed cut)
      o Jesse Bull, 41, of Hopkins, Minn. (missed cut)
      o Jim Coleman, 42, of Billings, Mont. (lost in the Round of 32)
      o Marc Dull (missed cut)
      o Gene Elliott (Round of 64) 
      o Edward Fryatt, 45, of Las Vegas, Nev. (missed cut)
      o David Gies II, 27, of Charlotte, N.C. (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Stewart Hagestad (champion)
      o Jack Hall, 59, of Savannah, Ga. (missed cut)
      o Scott Harvey (runner-up)
      o Reid Hatley (missed cut)
      o Kyle Hoffman, 27, of Lincoln, R.I. (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Bryan Hoops (lost in the Round of 32)
      o Josh Irving, 29, of Dallas, Texas (lost in the quarterfinals)
      o John Kelly (missed cut)
      o Bradley Lane, 36, of Lawrence, Kan. (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Philip Lee, 31, of White Bluff, Tenn. (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Jon Lindstrom, 49, of Broomfield, Colo. (missed cut)
      o Chip Lutz (missed cut)
      o Arthur Lynch, 34, of Boise, Idaho (missed cut)
      o Draegen Majors, 28, of Tulsa, Okla. (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Michael McCoy (missed cut)
      o Robby McWilliams, 48, of Benton, La. (missed cut)
      o Todd Mitchell (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Brad Nurski (lost in the Round of 32)
      o Matt Parziale (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Trevor Randolph, 43, of Franklin Lakes, N.J. (lost in the Round of 32)
      o Nathan Smith (missed cut)
      o Brad Valois (lost in the Round of 32)
      o Tom Werkmeister, 48, of Grandville, Mich. (lost in the Round of 16)
      o Todd White (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Bill Williamson (missed cut)
     
  • U.S. Senior Amateur, Sept. 17-22 at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. – seven players
      o Tom Brandes (lost in the Round of 64)
      o Kevin Cahill, 56, of Waukesha, Wis. (lost in semifinals)
      o John Hornbeck (lost in the quarterfinals)
      o Michael Hughett, 58, of Owasso, Okla. (lost in the Round of 32)
      o Tim Jackson (lost in semifinals)
      o Chip Lutz (lost in the Round of 32)
      o David Nelson, 60, of Reno, Nev. (missed cut)


Select Player Notes, by Team

Alabama

Woodie Eubanks, 40, of Trussville, won the 2008 Alabama State Mid-Amateur and 2011 Alabama State Four-Ball championships. In 2016, he finished sixth in the Alabama State Amateur, held in June at the Country Club of Birmingham.

Steven Groover, 31, of Birmingham, played golf for Auburn University from 2003-07. Upon graduating, he and a former teammate started a men’s golf apparel brand, Pure Golf. In 2016, he made it to the semifinals of the Alabama State Amateur Match Play Championship and finished tied for 13th in the Alabama State Amateur.

Matt Johnson, 36, of Dothan, is the third-ranked amateur in Alabama. The 2011 Alabama State Mid-Amateur champion advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 Alabama State Match Play Championship and finished tied for 19th in the 2016 Alabama State Amateur.

Alaska

Adam Baxter, 35, of Anchorage, won the 2013 and 2015 Alaska State Amateur Stroke Play Championships and finished runner-up in 2007, 2010 and 2016. Baxter also won the 2011 Alaska State Amateur Match Play Championship and finished runner-up in 2015. A dual citizen of Australia, he has had a private pilot license since 2009.

Jordan Miller, 33, of Anchorage, won the 2016 Alaska State Amateur Stroke Play Championship. He also advanced to U.S. Open sectional qualifying this year after earning medalist honors in the lone local qualifier in Alaska. Miller is set to get married the week after the Men’s State Team.

Greg Sanders, 52, of Anchorage, is a retired petroleum engineer who has won 10 Alaska State Amateur championships.

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Once an All-Star Major League Baseball pitcher, Washington's Erik Hanson has seen his amateur golf career blossom. (USGA/J.D. Cuban)

Arizona

Cory Bacon, 26, of Cave Creek, is the 2016 Arizona Amateur champion. A design engineer for Ping Golf, he takes an annual week-long fishing and backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his dad and brother.

Bryan Hoops, 47, of Chandler, is a multiple-time winner of Arizona State Golf Association championships who has recorded 19 holes in one, including four on par 4s. He is the president and chief operating officer of software company AspenTech.

Ken Tanigawa, 48, of Paradise Valley, won the 2015 Arizona Amateur, as well as back-to-back Arizona Mid-Amateurs in 2014-15. Born in Japan, the 2015 Arizona Player of the Year also finished runner-up in the 2016 Arizona Amateur. He is a reinstated amateur who played in 22 events on the Nationwide Tour, now the Web.com Tour, in 2003.

Arkansas

Stephen Cox, 30, of Jonesboro, is a commercial loan officer who played on both the basketball and golf teams at the University of Arkansas. He was teammates at Arkansas with Beau Glover, his Men’s State Team teammate and parter in the 2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball., His father, Steve, was a kicker and punter in the NFL for eight seasons,for  Cleveland and Washington,and was a member of the Redskins’ 1987 Super Bowl championship team.

Beau Glover, 31, of North Little Rock, played golf at the University of Arkansas with Stephen Cox in 2006 and 2007. The two  partnered in the 2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. He is the vice president of Glover Truck and Trailer Sales.

Trey Schaap, 40, of Little Rock, is a sports radio talk show host who serves as “the voice” of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s women’s basketball team.

California

Ashwin Arasu, 17, of San Diego, participated in the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club in 2014. A second-degree black belt in taekwondo, he chipped in for eagle on the 18th hole to win his Round of 64 match in the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur.

Tom Hutchison, 17, of San Jose, has verbally committed to play golf at the University of California, Davis, where his sister, Samantha, currently plays. His older brother, Owen, plays golf at California State University, East Bay.

Colorado

Keith Humerickhouse, 40, of Eagle, played a round of golf with Michael Jordan at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Country Club Humerickhouse has recorded six career holes-in-one, including one that earned him $10,000 in Lake Havasu, Ariz. He also notched four consecutive victories in the Colorado Mid-Amateur from 2010-13 and owns Perfectly Layed Hardwood Flooring. He is known in golf circles for his many colorful tattoos.

Jon Lindstrom, 48, of Broomfield, was the 2008 Colorado State Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. He has won multiple state championships, including the Colorado Mid-Amateur in 2008 and 2015.

Nick Nosewicz, 33, of Aurora, won the 2015 Colorado Golf Association Match Play Championship and finished runner-up in the 2014 Colorado State Amateur. His golf career has been heavily influenced by his family, including his grandfather, who is a member of the CGA hall of fame, and father, Lenny, who has owned Lenny’s Golf & Repair Shop for more than 30 years.

Connecticut

Chet Hrostek, 46, of New Milford, won the 2015 Connecticut State Mid-Amateur and Connecticut State Public Links Championships, becoming the first person to win both state championships in the same year.

Geoff Vartelas, 22, of Cromwell, finished runner-up in the 2016 New England Amateur. He played golf for Penn State University, serving as co-captain in 2015-16, and earned Big Ten Conference Sportsmanship Awards in 2014 and 2016.

Delaware

Jeffrey Allen, 59, of Wyoming, won the 2016 Delaware State Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship. The 2014 and 2015 DSGA senior player of the year also won three Maryland Interclub Seniors Golf Association championships (2012, 2015, 2016).

Jay Whitby, 29, of Wyoming, won the Delaware Amateur Championship in 2006 and 2015 and the 2013 Delaware Open.

District of Columbia

Endel Liias, 35, won the 1998 New England Junior Open and then went on to play golf at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time All-Ivy Award recipient and an Academic All American. He has traveled to more than 50 countries, and while living in Bolivia in 2005, he founded Ninos con Valor, an organization that cares for abandoned and high-risk youth.

Tom Wharton, 38, finished runner-up in the 2016 Washington Metropolitan Mid-Amateur. Playing in his first USGA championship, he works as a senate lobbyist for Blue Cross Blue Shield. He has also worked on Capitol Hill as the Senior Health Care Policy advisor to Joe Lieberman and began his career as a junior staffer for Vice President Joe Biden when he was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Florida

Joe Alfieri, 47, of Lutz, is a reinstated amateur who played on the Nationwide Tour, now the Web.com Tour, from 2005 to 2007. He has won the Florida State Match Play, Mid-Amateur and Four-Ball championships. He was named FSGA Player of the Year in 1999, 2001 and 2015.

Marc Dull, 30, of Winter Haven, was the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, losing to Sammy Schmitz in the 36-hole final. A caddie at Streamsong (FIa.) Resort, which hosted the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, he is the great grandson of two-time U.S. Senior Amateur champion Dexter Daniels.

Georgia

Colin Bowles, 17, of Albany, is the 2016 Georgia State Amateur champion and was the 2014 and 2015 West Virginia Player of the Year.

John Engler Jr., 37, of Augusta, is the 2016 Georgia State Mid-Amateur champion. He also won the 1997 Azalea Invitational and earned All-America honors while playing golf for Clemson University.

Jack Hall, 59, of Sea Island, played in the U.S. Senior Open in 2012 and 2013, as well as several U.S. Amateurs and U.S. Mid-Amateurs. Hall captured the Georgia State Senior, Georgia State Four-Ball, Oglethorpe Championship and Gasparilla Senior Championships, all in 2013.

Hawaii

Tyler Ota, 22, of Aiea, won the 2015 Manoa Cup, Hawaii’s state amateur match play championship. In 2016, he finished runner-up in the Hawaii State Amateur.

Jun Ho Won, 17, of Honolulu, advanced to U.S. Open Sectional qualifying in 2015after medaling in his local qualifier.

Idaho

Jesse Hibler, 38, of Meridian, won the 2009 Idaho State Match Play Championship and played golf for Brigham Young University.

Illinois

Tee-K Kelly, 22, of Wheaton, won the Illinois State Amateur Championship in 2013 and 2015 and was named the Illinois Golf Association Player of the Year in 2008. A member of the Ohio State University golf team from 2012-15, his game is heavily influenced by his mother, Blue (Kinander) Kelly, who has played in several USGA championships, including a U.S. Women’s Open, and helped the University of Tulsa win the 1988 NCAA Championship.

Todd Mitchell, 38, of Bloomington, reached the Round of 16 in the 2015 U.S. Amateur and was the 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up. Mitchell, who did not play college golf, was a shortstop at Illinois State University and was selected in the 14th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees.

Indiana

Kenny Cook, 36, of Noblesville, represented Indiana in the USGA Men’s State Team for the first time in 2014. Cook has made the cut in all five of his U.S. Mid-Amateur starts, reaching the championship match in 2011. In three U.S. Amateur starts, he has reached match play twice.

Sean Rowen, 42, of Greenwood, was named the Indiana Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. He has captured the Indiana State Amateur, the Mid-Amateur, and, this year, won the Indiana Match Play and the Tournament of Champions.

Brett Widner, 35, of Avon, won the Indiana Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship in 2013 and 2014, finishing as the runner-up in 2016. He won the IGA State Four-Ball Championship in 2014 and 2016. He won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference individual title in 2004 while playing for Franklin College.

Iowa

Gene Elliott, 54, of West Des Moines, is playing in his fifth USGA Men’s State Team (1995, 2009, 2012, 2014). The team’s best finish with Elliott on the roster was runner-up in 2012. In 2016 he has posted top-five finishes in the Iowa Mid-Amateur and Iowa Masters to go along with wins in the Iowa Golf Association Four-Ball with Michael McCoy, Iowa Senior Match Play, Iowa Senior Amateur and the Briarwood Amateur. A member of the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame and IGA board member, Elliott has also been named IGA Player of the Year in 2002, 2011 and 2015.

Michael McCoy, 53, of Des Moines, was the low amateur in the U.S. Senior Open in 2014 and 2015 and became the  second oldest player to win the U.S. Mid-Amateur when he claimed the championship in 2013. McCoy, who was a member of the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team, works in the insurance business and is an Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member.

Jon Olson, 36, of Ankeny, was named IGA Player of the year in 2014. He finished in the top five in several IGA events in 2016, including the Iowa Mid-Amateur, Carroll Amateur, Northwest Amateur and Briarwood Amateur. Olson last played in the Men’s State Team in 2012, when Iowa finished runner-up.

Kansas

Bradley Lane, 36, of Lawrence, was named the 2015 Kansas Golf Association Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. A professor at the University of Kansas, he played golf at Rice University.

Tim McKinnis, 51, of Lyons, won The Railer, the individual stroke play amateur championship in Kansas in 2016. A reinstated amateur as of 2013 and a former minor league baseball pitcher in the Angels’ organization, he finished runner-up in the 2016 Kansas Senior Amateur.

Kentucky

Joe Deraney, 33, of Lexington, won the 2013 Kentucky State Match Play Championship and both the Timuquana and Lupton Cups in 2016. An Academic All-American while playing golf at Mississippi State University, he captained the Bulldogs from 2004-05.

Denver Haddix, 36, of Lexington, won the 2014 Kentucky State Match Play Championship and finished runner-up in the 2014 Kentucky State Amateur. He is a passionate bass fisher who manufactures custom balsa wood crankbaits and top water lures. He was diagnosed with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss in 2013, causing him to lose approximately 85 percent of his hearing ability in his left ear. Haddix played golf collegiately at Morehead State University.

Andy Roberts, 36, of Owensboro, won the 2010 Kentucky Open, 2008 and 2010 Kentucky State Mid-Amateurs, and the 2016 Kentucky State Amateur. In 2010, he was named the Kentucky Player of the Year.

Louisiana

Brandon Aydlett, 34, of Metairie, was the low individual scorer in the 2014 Men's State Team Championship at French Lick (Ind.) Resort.

Patrick Christovich, 38, of New Orleans, advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur and has claimed three Louisiana Mid-Amateur titles (2010-12). Playing in his fourth Men’s State Team as a representative for Louisiana, he also won the 2012 Louisiana Amateur and was runner up in 2013. He works as a realtor.

Robby McWilliams, 48, of Benton, won the 2016 Louisiana Mid-Amateur after finishing as the runner-up for four consecutive years. This is McWilliams’ fifth Men’s State Team start.

Maine

Jack Wyman, 25, of South Freeport, is a two-time low amateur in the Maine Open, and was an All-New England honoree at Endicott College.

Maryland

Mark Cusic, 41, of California, has won several Maryland State Golf Association titles, including the Maryland Amateur (2011), Maryland Four-Ball (2012, 2013) and Maryland Amateur Public Links (2016).

Ben Warnquist, 23, of Olney, is an insurance agent who reached the championship match with partner Brandon Cigna in the 2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Winged Foot Golf Club. He is the 2015 Maryland State Amateur champion.

Massachusetts

Herbie Aikens, 34, of Kingston, started Lighthouse Electrical Contracting when he was 20. The company now does more than $8 million a year of electrical work, with more than 30 employees. He is playing in his third Men’s State Team.

Matt Parziale, 29, of Brockton, is a firefighter with the Brockton Fire Department. He had his amateur status reinstated two years ago after competing on the NGA Hooters and eGolf tours.

Michigan

Evan Bowser, 21, of Dearborn, has played in the U.S. Amateur in 2012, 2013 and 2014.A high school ice hockey player, he lost his mother to Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) in 2011.

Anthony Sorentino, 38, of Shelby Township, won the Michigan Mid-Amateur in 2006 and 2015, as well as the 2015 Golf Association of Michigan Tournament of Champions. An avid Grateful Deadfan who saw many shows before lead singer Jerry Garcia died, he is an assistant prosecuting attorney in Macomb County.

Tom Werkmeister, 48, of Grandville, is a four-time Golf Association of Michigan Player of the Year, and was inducted into the state’s golf hall of fame in 2013. Werkmeister, who works in internet sales, is an accomplished bowler who has recorded eight 300 games and carries a 225 average.

Minnesota

Jesse Bull, 41, of Hopkins, won the 2013 Minnesota State Amateur Championship. A former hockey player at the University of North Dakota , he helped his team win the 1997 NCAA championship.

Trent Peterson, 29, of Eagan, won the 2014 Minnesota State Open, 2013 Northwest Iowa Amateur and 2008 Minnesota State Amateur. A registered nurse who has traveled to 17 countries, he was named the Minnesota Golf Association Player of the Year in 2008.

Mississippi

Clay Homan, 44, of Starkville, is the head golf coach at his alma mater, Mississippi State University. The four-time Mississippi Amateur and four-time Mississippi Mid-Amateur champion is making his fifth appearance in the Men’s State Team.

Josh Lampley, 33, of Gulfport, caddied for his father, Jerry, in the 2008 U.S. Senior Open.

Ben Snow, 35, of Hattiesburg, is a three-time Mississippi Mid-Amateur champion (2009, 2013, 2014). The attorney also won the 2009 Coast Amateur and was named the Mississippi Golf Association Player of the Year that year.

Missouri

Richard Berkmeyer, 42, of Wildwood, hosts a radio show about golf in St. Louis, and owns All-Star Distributing, which manufactures awards and recognition products. He and Brad Nurski partnered in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2015 and 2016. He is frequently referred to by his nickname, “Skip”.

Brad Nurski, 37, of St. Joseph, was the runner-up to Scott Harvey and shared stroke-play medalist honors in the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur. A conductor and switchman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway, he claimed the 2010 Missouri State Amateur title. He and Richard Berkmeyer partnered in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2015 and 2016.

Montana

Craig Hurlbert, 54, of Hamilton, was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009 as CEO of TAS Energy, based in Houston, Texas. He won the Montana State Mid-Amateur in 2010.

Mark Mance, 48, of Whitefish, won this year’s Montana Mid-Amateur and finished fourth in the Montana Amateur. He earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors as a tennis player at Duke University before playing the sport professionally.

Nebraska

Brian Csipkes, 45, of Gretna, was a professional bowler in the early 1990s, rolling six 300 games. He finished as the runner-up in the 2013 Nebraska Mid-Amateur.

Ryan Nietfeldt, 40, of Elkhorn, won the Nebraska Amateur in 2002 and finished as the runner-up in 2010 and 2011. He has also captured the 2001 Nebraska Mid-Amateur, the 2003 Nebraska Match Play championship, and won the 2004 New Mexico Open as a professional. He is a three-time Nebraska Golf Association Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2013). He is believed to be the only player in Nebraska history to win every individual championship conducted by the Nebraska Golf Association. He had his amateur status reinstated in 2008.

Nevada

Edward Fryatt, 45, of Las Vegas, won six events as a professional, including one on the Buy.com Tour, now the Web.com Tour, before having his amateur reinstated in 2013. He has played in the U.S. Open three times, tying for 24th in 1997. In 2000, he set the record for most consecutive birdies on the PGA Tour, with eight at the Doral Ryder Open. Overall, he notched seven top-10 finishes in 105 starts on the Tour.

David Nelson, 60, of Reno, is president of Hole-in-One U.S.A., a business that provides hole-in-one insurance for golf tournaments.

New Hampshire

Ryan Kohler, 32, of Chesterfield, started playing golf after graduating from Keene State College in 2007. He won the 2012 New Hampshire Stroke Play, 2013 New Hampshire Four-Ball, and 2015 New Hampshire Mid-Amateur. He was also the low amateur in the 2013 Vermont Open and 2015 New Hampshire Open, and earned medalist honors in the 2014 New Hampshire Amateur.

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Virginia's Keith Decker is the only player to compete in every Men's State Team, a streak that will continue in Birmingham. (USGA/Steve Gibbons)

New Jersey

Brian Komline, 42, of Bridgewater, is a two-time New Jersey Player of the Year who has won the New Jersey Open twice.

Trevor Randolph, 43, of Franklin Lakes, finished as the Metropolitan Golf Association’s top-ranked Mid-Amateur three straight years from 2013-15. He has finished in the top four of the New Jersey State Golf Association Player of the Year rankings in each of the last four years, and has numerous MGA and NJSGA victories. He is representing New Jersey in the Men’s State Team for the second time.

Michael Stamberger, 44, of Brielle, won the 2003 Met Amateur the New York City Amateur three times(2003, 2006, 2010) and the NJSGA  Mid-Amateur in 2008. Stamberger’s brother-in-law is Mike Bennett, an instructor for Stand and Tilt.

New Mexico

Marty Sanchez, 22, of Santa Fe, earned NJCAA All-American honors while playing for West Texas A&M University.

New York

Stewart Hagestad, 25, of New York, notched a come-from-behind win in the U.S. Mid-Amateur earlier this month at Stonewall in Elverson, Pa., defeating 2014 champion Scott Harvey in a championship match that lasted 37 holes.

Tyler McArdell, 26, of Baldwinsville, captured the 2016 New York State Amateur and finished third in the 2016 New York State Open at Bethpage Black.

North Carolina

David Gies II, ­­27, of Charlotte, reached the quarterfinals of the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur, losing to eventual runner-up Marc Dull.

Scott Harvey, 38, of Kernersville, won the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur, earning an invitation to the 2015 Masters. A property manager, he has reached match play in two U.S. Amateur Four-Balls with partner Todd Mitchell (2015, semifinals; 2016 Round of 16) and was a member of the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team. He was the runner-up in the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur, falling to Stewart Hagestad in 37 holes.

Justin Tereshko, 26, of Greensboro, won the 2015 North Carolina Open and finished runner-up in the 2015 and 2016 North Carolina Amateurs. While playing for Transylvania University, Tereshko was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American.

North Dakota

Rick Kuhn, 46, of Bismarck, is a four-time North Dakota State Stroke Play champion, and was named North Dakota Golfer of the Year in 2007 and 2010.

Ohio

Jeff Scohy, 39, of Bellbrook, served seven years on active duty as an Air Force Acquisitions Officer and is now a Major in the Air Force Reserves. He was the All-Air Force champion in 2001 and 2004, and the All-Armed Forces champion in 2001, 2004 and 2006. He finished runner-up in the 2004 Ohio Amateur and in the Ohio Mid-Amateur in 2004, 2008 and 2011.

Bill Williamson, 39, of Cincinnati, was the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up to Michael McCoy at Birmingham (Ala.) Country Club. An attorney, he is a three-time Greater Cincinnati Player of the Year.

Oklahoma

Michael Hughett, 58, of Owasso, is the chief financial officer for the Nordam Group. A University of Nebraska graduate, he is in the Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame and has won a record 16 Oklahoma State Golf Association championships, including the 2001 Oklahoma State Amateur.

Oregon

Conner Barr, 23, of Beaverton, won the 2016 Oregon Amateur and plans to turn professional in 2017. He currently works as a golf shop assistant at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore., which has hosted six USGA championships.

Pennsylvania

Christopher Crawford, 22, of Bensalem, became the first Drexel University golfer to play in a U.S. Open this June. His 40-foot birdie putt on the final hole at the Summit, N.J., sectional qualifier placed him in the field at Oakmont Country Club. A three-time All-America selection, Crawford was named the 2015 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year.

Chip Lutz, 61, of Reading, won the U.S. Senior Amateur title in 2015 and is a three-time semifinalist. He won the 2011 and 2012 Canadian Men’s Senior Amateur Championships and is a three-time champion of the Seniors Amateur Championship, conducted by The R&A (2011, 2012, 2016). Lutz was the only amateur to make the cut in the 2016 U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club, finishing in a tie for 37th and earning low-amateur honors. He is a six-time Golf Association of Philadelphia Senior Player of the Year and has brothers named Wedge and Putter.

Nathan Smith, 38, of Pittsburgh, is a four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012) and a member of three USA Walker Cup Teams (2009, 2011, 2013). An investment banker, he won the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Todd White. When he won the 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur, he became the youngest champion, and he also holds the record for the most Mid-Amateur match-play victories (34).

Puerto Rico

Erick Morales, 33, of Sabena Seca, won the 2001 Puerto Rico Junior, the 2009 and 2011 Caribbean Amateurs, the 2011 and 2016 Puerto Rico Amateur and finished runner-up in the Puerto Rico Amateur in 2009 and 2010. He made the cut in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open in 2015, tying for 55th.

Rhode Island

Kyle Hoffman, 27, of Lincoln, finished runner-up in the 2014 Rhode Island Mid-Amateur and third in the Rhode Island Stroke Play Championship in 2014 and 2016.

Bobby Leopold, 31, of Coventry, won the Rhode Island Amateur in 2009 and 2014, the Rhode Island Mid-Amateur and the Rhode Island Four-Ball three times each and was named the Rhode Island Player of the Year in 2009, 2011 and 2014. He reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Amateur in 2011 and 2012.

Brad Valois, 29, of Warwick, is a financial planner who has won four Rhode Island Amateur titles (2006, 2007, 2011, 2013), as well as the 2006 New England Amateur.

South Carolina

Robert Dargan, 47, of Columbia, has 39 South Carolina Golf Association victories, including two State Mid-Amateur titles. He earned All-Southeastern Conference honors twice while playing for the University of South Carolina and was named South Carolina Amateur of the Year and South Carolina Golf Writers Amateur of the Year in 1990. Dargan won the South Carolina State Four-Ball with his father in 1990 and with his brother in 2002.

Todd Hendley, 58, of Greer, is a two-time South Carolina Mid-Amateur champion (2012, 2015) and won the South Carolina Senior Amateur in 2015 and 2016. He played in the 2013 U.S. Senior Open.

Todd White, 48, of Spartanburg, won the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Nathan Smith. A high school history teacher, he helped the USA to a 17-9 victory in the 2013 Walker Cup Match, contested at The National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y. He played in the 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southapton, N.Y.

South Dakota

Michael Keeton, 33, of Pierre, won the 2016 South Dakota Mid-Amateur and Match Play championships. He shot an 11-under 57 in the Spring Masters in 2008.

Tennessee

Tim Jackson, 57, of Germantown, won the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 1994 and 2001, setting a record for longest span between U.S. Mid-Amateur victories. The six-time Tennessee Player of the Year earned medalist honors in the 2009 U.S. Amateur, and shares the record with Vinny Giles as a three-time U.S. Senior Open low amateur (2009-2011). In 2009, he set the U.S. Senior Open record for lowest 72-hole amateur score (282) and lowest round by an amateur (66). A Tennessee Golf Association board member since 1988, he was a member of the 1995 and 1999 USA Walker Cup Teams and won the 2003 Men’s State Team title for Tennessee with Danny Green and current PGA Tour player Brandt Snedeker. He reached the semifinals in the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur.

Craig Smith, 29, of Nashville, was the 2007 Sun Belt Conference champion while playing for Middle Tennessee State University. The vice president of Better Block, a concrete and masonry company, Smith won the 2012 Tennessee Open and was runner-up in the 2012 Tennessee Amateur and 2013 Tennessee Mid-Amateur.

Texas

Scott Abbott, 34, of Dallas, is the 2015 Texas Mid-Amateur champion.

Zach Atkinson, 34, of Colleyville, was a member of the winning Texas team in the 2014 Men’s State Team. He advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2003 U.S. Amateur, falling to Bill Haas, and in the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur, where he lost to eventual champion Michael McCoy at the Country Club of Birmingham.

Josh Irving, 29, of Dallas, reached the quarterfinals of the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur, and competed in the U.S. Amateur in 2014 and 2015. The former captain of the golf team at Stephen F. Austin University was named the Texas Amateur Player of the Year in 2015.

Utah

Ryan Brimley, 27, of Herriman, has played in the U.S. Mid-Amateur in each of the last three years. He captured the 2015 Utah Mid-Amateur title and the Utah Governor’s Cup in 2015 and 2016. Brimley was first-team all-state in both golf and basketball in high school. He went on to play basketball at Southern Utah University, where he averaged 9.4 points per game as a senior.

Dan Horner, 38, of Sandy, was the 2008 Utah Golf Association Player of the Year and has won every Utah Golf Association major championship. In 1999, he was playing in U.S. Amateur sectional qualifying and had the honors on a 330-yard, par four. He holed out from 30 yards for eagle, but lost the honor for the next hole when a player in his group made a hole-in-one.

Vermont

Garren Poirier, 36, of Killington, has won the Vermont Mid-Amateur three times and the Vermont Amateur twice. Growing up in a military family, he lived in Virginia, Germany, Greece, California twice, Alabama, Tennessee, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Bryan Smith, 31, of Jay, is the 2016 Vermont Amateur champion. He is also a two-time runner-up in the Vermont Amateur (2013, 2014) and Vermont Mid-Amateur (2015, 2016). In 2014, he led the Vermont Amateur by three strokes with one hole left. He made double bogey and the player behind him made birdie to force a playoff. After five holes, Smith finally lost with his 38-week pregnant wife watching. The next morning, she went into labor.

Virginia

Keith Decker, 56, of Martinsville, is a seven-time Virginia Player of the Year who has won the Virginia Open three times (1996, 2001, 2002), the Virginia Amateur twice (1988, 1991), the Virginia Mid-Amateur seven times, the Virginia Four-Ball six times, the 2010 Virginia Senior Open and the Virginia Senior Amateur three times. He was a two-time All-America honoree during his collegiate playing career at Elon College. Decker is the only player to compete in every Men’s State Team.

Scott Shingler, 44, of Haymarket, won the Virginia Amateur and the Washington Metropolitan Amateur in 2011. He has also captured the Washington Metropolitan Mid-Amateur twice and the 2010 Virginia Mid-Amateur.

Washington

Tom Brandes, 60, of Bellevue, is a five-time Pacific Northwest Golf Association and six-time Washington State Golf Association Senior Player of the Year. A 2015 PNGA Hall of Fame inductee, he carded a hole-in-one on the 217-yard seventh hole at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va., during the 2011 U.S. Senior Amateur. He finished runner-up in the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur.

Erik Hanson, 51, of Kirkland, finished runner-up in the 2002 Washington Amateur, the 2010 Washington Mid-Amateur, the Washington Open in 2008 and 2013 and the 2013 Seattle Amateur. He won the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Mid-Amateur in 2002. Hanson spent 11 seasons as a pitcher in the major leagues, playing for the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, and was named an All-Star in 1995.

Reid Hatley, 35, of Spokane, owns RHI Golf, a golf accessory company.

West Virginia

Patrick Carter, 48, of Huntington, is a 16-time West Virginia Player of the Year who has won the West Virginia Amateur 13 times. He was paired with Tiger Woods in the 1996 U.S. Amateur at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.

Sam O’Dell, 38, of Hurricane, has won the West Virginia Amateur twice, the West Virginia Mid-Amateur four times and was named West Virginia Player of the Year three times.

Wisconsin

Kevin Cahill, 56, of Waukesha, was a three-time high school state tennis champion. He and his brothers combined for 10 state high school championships. He was a semifinalist in the 2016 U.S. Senior Amateur.

Robert Gregorski, 55, of Menasha, has been named the Wisconsin Player of the Year four times, and was inducted into the Wisconsin Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2004. A 20-time Wisconsin State Golf Association champion and eight-time runner-up, his titles include two Wisconsin Amateur and five Wisconsin Mid-Amateur victories. He was the first to win the Wisconsin Amateur, Match Play, Mid-Amateur and WPLA Ray Fisher in the same year. In college, he shot a 62 at the Badger Invitational, an NCAA record that stood for 13 years until it was broken by Tiger Woods in 1996.

Wyoming

Dave Balling, 57, of Cody, has won the Wyoming Amateur four times (1986, 1988, 1992, 1996). He captured the Wyoming Mid-Amateur in 1995 and the Wyoming Senior Amateur in 2009. He was inducted into the Wyoming Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.

John Hornbeck, 58, of Saratoga, is a two-time Wyoming Player of the Year (2011, 2012) and has won the Wyoming Match Play (2011), Wyoming Senior Amateur (2011, 2012, 2013), and Wyoming Mid-Amateur (2004, 2011, 2014) Championships.