Pacific Northwest Golf Association Selects 2024 Players of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TACOMA, WA (November 6, 2024) - The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) has announced the region’s Players of the Year for 2024.
Among the honorees are three women from British Columbia in the Junior Girs, Women's, and Senior Women's categories.
Those honored include Men's Player of the Year, Max Herendeen of Bellevue, Wash.; Women’s, Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C.; Men's Mid-Amateur, Andrew Von Lossow of Spokane, Wash.; Women's Mid-Amateur, Gretchen Johnson of Portland, Ore.; Senior Men's, Darren Kuhn of Pocatello, Idaho; Senior Women's, Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, B.C.; Junior Boys', Wheaton Ennis of Eagle, Idaho; and Junior Girls', Amy Lee of Langley, B.C.
The PNGA Player of the Year candidates are nominated by the state and provincial golf associations that comprise the PNGA (British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington), and are selected by a vote of the PNGA Championship Committee.
Click here for a full list of playing accomplishments of this year’s recipients and for a complete history of all past PNGA Player of the Year award recipients.
Men’s Player of the Year
Max Herendeen – Bellevue, Wash.
During the 2024 golf season, Herendeen played his best in the nation’s highest profile amateur championships. He had top-5 finishes in the Sunnehanna Amateur and Washington Men’s Amateur, made the round of 16 at the Western Amateur, tied for 18th at the Pacific Coast Amateur, and participated in the U.S. Amateur. Now a sophomore at the University of Illinois, Herendeen won the NCAA Division I Regionals and went on to finish tied for second in the NCAA Championship. He was named the Big 10 Freshman of the Year. In 2022, Herendeen was named the PNGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.
Women’s Player of the Year
Lauren Kim – Surrey, B.C.
Kim earns this honor for the second year in a row. In 2024, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur, where she made the round of 16; finished fifth in the Canadian Women’s Amateur; and was selected to compete in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she finished 14th. For the second year in a row, Kim was given a sponsor’s exemption to play against the professionals in the CPKC Women’s Open. Kim previously was twice named the PNGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year. A member of Team Canada, she is now a sophomore on the University of Texas women's golf team.
Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year
Andrew Von Lossow – Spokane, Wash.
Among his accomplishments in 2024, Von Lossow made the round 32 at the PNGA Men’s Amateur and the round of 64 at the U.S. Mid-Amateur. He also took second place in the Spokane City Championship. Competing against the region’s PGA professionals, Von Lossow had top-20 finishes in the Washington Open, Northwest Open, and Oregon Open, and then broke through in winning the Rosauers Open Invitational. This is the second time Von Lossow has received this honor, having previously been named in 2022.
Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year
Gretchen Johnson – Portland, Ore.
This is the fourth time Johnson has received this award, having previously been named in 2018, 2019, and 2023. In 2024, she excelled on the local, regional and national stage. Johnson was a quarterfinalist in both the PNGA Women’s Amateur and Oregon Women’s Amateur, and finished third in the Oregon Mid-Amateur. She made the round of 64 in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, and the round of 32 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball.
Senior Men’s Player of the Year
Darren Kuhn – Pocatello, Idaho
Kuhn succeeded on the golf course throughout the west. He won the Idaho Senior Men’s Amateur, finished runner-up in the Idaho Senior Match Play, and finished fourth in the Idaho Senior Tournament of Champions. Kuhn tied for 26th in the PNGA Senior Men’s Amateur. In Utah, he finished runner-up in the Utah Senior Open, was a semifinalist in the Utah Senior State Amateur, and finished third in the Utah Senior Stroke Play.
Senior Women’s Player of the Year
Shelly Stouffer – Nanoose Bay, B.C.
In another successful season, Stouffer won the BC Senior Women’s Amateur and the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur. She finished 40th in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, and was runner-up in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. Competing against younger players, she made the round of 64 in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, and competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. This is the second time Stouffer has been named Player of the Year (2022). Earlier this year, Stouffer was inducted into the PNGA Hall of Fame.
Junior Boys’ Player of the Year
Wheaton Ennis – Eagle, Idaho
Ennis had top-10s and a runner-up finish in three major junior events. Competing against older players, he finished third at the Pacific Coast Amateur, ninth in the Terra Cotta Invitational, and then won the Arizona Amateur. His victory in Arizona earned him an exemption into the U.S. Amateur, where he made the round of 32. Ennis is now a freshman on the Texas A&M men’s golf team.
Junior Girls’ Player of the Year
Amy Lee – Langley, B.C.
Lee was dominant throughout the Northwest in 2024. She won the PNGA Junior Girls’ Amateur, after earning that championship’s medalist honors and the No. 1 seed. She also won the BC Girls’ Junior and the BC Women’s Amateur, as well as the FCG Collegiate Series Opener. She made the round of 16 in the PNGA Women’s Amateur, finished runner-up in the Fortinet Girls Invitational, and had top-10 finishes in three other major junior events.
About the Pacific Northwest Golf Association
The PNGA 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. The PNGA remains committed to being a truly regional organization providing benefits and support to its member associations throughout the Northwest. For more information visit thepnga.org.