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Cogswell, Fallgren among WSGA Champion of Champions winners
Cogswell, Fallgren, Stamey and Wrigley (WSGA/Twitter photo)
Cogswell, Fallgren, Stamey and Wrigley (WSGA/Twitter photo)

Nathan Cogswell was the last man standing in the men’s division of the Washington Champion of Champions, finishing with rounds of 68-67 at the Home Course in DuPont, Wash. In a three-way race to the finish with Andrew Von Lossow of Spokane and defending champion Jon McCaslin of Olympia, Cogswell caught fire early in the final round, with birdies on seven of his first 12 holes. He had it to 11 under and seemingly was in control of the outcome, but Von Lossow began his charge with four birdies on the back nine, and when Cogswell bogeyed 14 and 18, his lead was down to one.

McCaslin began the day with a one-shot lead, but couldn’t match the fireworks of Cogswell and Von Lossow, and Cogswell held on to win by a single shot over Von Lossow and McCaslin.

“I hadn’t played here (at The Home Course) since the PNGA Junior Boys’ a few years ago,” Cogswell said. “I’ve always liked this course, it’s a nice set-up for me. It’s nice and wide open, so I can pound a driver whenever I want. But it’s nice because the greens were in good shape. I got off to a slow start yesterday but finished well, and today I just wanted to get off a little quicker. I was playing with Jon yesterday, and I knew he was playing well so I knew I had to go out and catch him today.”

Cogswell’s dad was following him around, and with the finish getting tight he told Nathan to just focus on one shot at a time.

Cogswell earned entry into this championship by finishing in the top five Washington Junior Golf Association points list for 2018. He is a freshman on the Seattle University men’s golf team.

In the women’s division, Victoria Fallgren took charge with a 2-under 70 in the first round and never looked back. She began the final day with a six-shot lead, and cruised to victory with a 2-over 74.

“Yesterday was fairly easy,” Fallgren said. “My wedges were dialed in, my speed was good. Today was a little more of a struggle and I had to fight for the round a little bit.”

Fallgren had finished second in this championship twice, and said it was good to get over the hump this year. “Yes, it feels good to start the season with a win.”

Finishing second, five shots back of Fallgren, was Sarah Lawrence of Duvall. Lawrence was the defending champion and had also won in 2016.

Fallgren had earned entry into this championship by winning last year’s WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, on her way to being named the 2018 WSGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. Next week, Fallgren, who is the assistant women’s golf coach at Gonzaga University, will compete for Team WSGA in the PNGA Cup, to be held at the Crosswater Club in Sunriver, Ore.

Alex Stamey shot rounds of 67-69 to finish at 8 under in the senior men’s division, four shots ahead of second-place finisher Tom Brandes of Bellevue. His smooth, bogey-free final round was too much for others to catch. He had just one bogey in 36 holes.

“Well, I was paired with the legend, Tom Brandes,” Stamey said, “who is very hard to beat. I had a two-shot lead, and he caught me after nine. I played consistent, the course was in good shape, and it was a lot of fun out there.”

Brandes, the three-time defending champion, made a serious run at Stamey in today’s round. The two were paired together in today’s final round. Brandes burned the front nine in 4-under, which included an eagle 3 on the par-5 fifth hole, and after nine holes, Brandes had caught Stamey. But Brandes would bogey holes 11 and 13, and when he bogeyed 17 while Stamey birdied it, Stamey took it home from there.

“I was doing some scoreboard watching during the back nine,” Stamey said. “I knew Karl (Smith) was just two shots back at the time as well. It was nice to have a few strokes cushion the last hole, but it was definitely a grind the whole day.”

Stamey earned entry into the championship by virtue of winning the Everett Golf and Country Club club championship. Next week he will compete on Team WSGA in the PNGA Cup.

In the senior women’s division, Beth Wrigley made up ground in the final round. She began the day two shots behind first-round leader, and defending champion, Leslie Folsom of Tukwila. On the final day, both Wrigley and Folsom struggled on the front nine, with Wrigley shooting a 4-over 40 and Folson stumbling on two double-bogeys to shoot 5-over 41.

It was on the back nine that Wrigley righted the ship. Standing on the 10th tee one shot behind Folsom, she played the back nine in 1-under, with a birdie on the par-3 12th, while Folsom made two bogeys, and Wrigley’s steady play brought home the title.

“Yesterday was fairly solid, and nothing spectacular,” Wrigley said. “Today I was 1 under for the last 10 holes, and got some good up-and-downs, and was able to bring home the trophy.”

Wrigley earned entry into this championship by winning the 2018 Indian Canyon GC women’s club championship. Next week she will be playing in the qualifier for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, to be held at Tualatin (Ore.) Country Club.

View results for Washington Champion of Champions
ABOUT THE Washington Champion of Champions

Format: 36-hole gross stroke play competition. Men’s and Women’s Championships run concurrently.

Age Limit: No age limit

Handicap Limit: No handicap limit

Field Limit: Open to the first 96 male players (48 men & 48 senior men) and 48 female (18 women & 30 senior women) players to complete an entry form and meet at least one of the below requirements:

• Previous two years Club Champion or Senior Club Champion at a WSGA member club
• Previous year's champion of a WSGA Championship (excludes Parent-Child Championship)
• Top-10 on the WSGA Men's Performance Points List as of the end of the previous calendar year
• Top-5 on the WSGA Women's Performance Points List as of the end of the previous calendar year
• Top-5 on the WSGA Senior Men's Performance Points List as of the end of the previous calendar year
• Top-5 on the WSGA Senior Women's Performance Points List as of the end of the previous calendar year
• Previous year's WJGA State Junior Boys' and Girls' Champion
• Previous year's champion of any event on the WSGA Men's, Women's, Senior Men's, or Senior Women's Performance Points List.

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