Sahalee Players Championship: Illinois, Summerhays take the titles

September 10, 2023 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Illinois Men's Golf Team (Illinois Athletics Photo)

Illinois was the only team to finish under par, and Preston Summerhays of Arizona State won in a playoff.

The Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Golf Team is off to a hot start this season after winning the 2023 Sahalee Player's Championship at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash.

Illinois shot 1-under par, winning by eight shots over solo second-place finisher Arizona State, who shot 7-over. The Fighting Illini had their best round in round two, shooting a team score of 281, better than any other team round score by five rounds.

Washington finished in solo third place at 10-over, Arizona finished in solo fourth place at 12-over, and Duke finished in solo fifth place at 16-over.

In the individual competition, Preston Summerhays of Arizona State defeated Illinois freshman Max Herendeen in a playoff to win.

With the win, Summerhays gets an exemption into the Fortinet Championship this week in Napa Valley.

Summerhays finished 5-under after rounds of 72-67-72.

Herendeen also finished 5-under after rounds of 74-64-73 but lost in the playoff to Summerhays to finish in solo second place.

Herendeen grew up just minutes from Sahalee Country Club in Bellevue, Wash.

Filip Jakubcik of Arizona finished in solo third place at 1-under, and Chuan-Tai Lin of Washington finished in solo fourth place at even-par.

Summerhays went 2-1-1 in helping USA win another Walker Cup earlier this month, and the two-time All-American has now won two of his past five events, as he also captured the 2023 ASU/Thunderbird Intercollegiate in April.

It marked his second career win and his fifth top-five finish as he tied for fourth at the 2023 Valspar Invitational, the 2023 National Intercollegiate, and tied for fifth at the 2023 Cabo Collegiate.

Results: Sahalee Players Championship

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Preston Summerhays	Scottsdale, AZ	800	72-67-72=211
2	Max Herendeen	Bellevue, WA	500	74-64-73=211
3	Filip Jakubcik	, Czech Republic	400	73-69-73=215
4	Chuan-Tai (Teddy) Lin	, Chinese Taipei	400	72-76-68=216
T5	Jackson Buchanan	Dacula, GA	400	66-78-73=217

View full results for Sahalee Players Championship

About the Sahalee Players Championship

Sahalee Players Championship: Illinois, Summerhays take the titles

Inaugurated in 1992, the Sahalee Players Championship (SPC) was a major summer amateur event until 2019 when it was discontinued. In 2023, it was converted into a college event hosting the top men's teams in the country. Team (best four scores out of...