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July 2, 2009

SEATTLE, Wash. - Jake Koppenberg of Everett, WA and a Division II First-Team All-American for Western Washington University this past year, fired a bogey free 5-under par 67 in opening-round action Wednesday to set the pace at the 2009 Sahalee Players Championship.

Koppenberg used a consistent putter throughout the day and took advantage of Sahalee Country Club's four par-5's, making birdie on three of them.

The tourney runs through Friday.

One stroke back is Dan Woltman of Beaver Dam, WI who is in sole possession of second place after a 4-under par 68. Woltman is coming off of a victory last week at the Northeast Amateur, one of the world's top amateur events, as he looks for his second straight week with major amateur victory.

Among the mix at 3-under par 69 is the University of Washington's Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. who is the world's #1 ranked amateur golfer by the R&A. Also at 3-under par is 2006 Sahalee Players Championship runner-up Derek Berg of Duvall, WA, recent Texas State Amateur Champion James Sacheck of The Woodlands, TX, and 2008 Pacific Coast Amateur runner-up Ryan Hallisey of Granite Bay, CA.

Defending champion Trent Whitekiller of Sallisaw, OK remains in the mix after an up-and-down round of even-par 72 that included seven birdies.

This is 16th year of the Sahalee Players Championship and some notable past champions are Daniel Summerhays, Kyle Stanley, Ryan Moore, Arron Oberholser, Jason Gore, and Casey Martin. Sahalee Country Club has played host to the 1998 PGA Championship, 2002 World Golf Championship - NEC Invitational, and will once again host a major professional event with the U.S. Senior Open coming to the club in 2010.

The Pacific Northwest Golf Association teamed up with Sahalee Country Club 10 years ago to create the "Western Swing" with the PNGA Men's Amateur Championship. The Sahalee Players Championship is the first leg of the swing, with the PNGA Men's Amateur being played the week after. The two events were paired together to give amateur golfers in the west an opportunity to play two major national amateur championships without having to travel to the east coast.