By: Shane René, Administrator of Media and Communications
Men’s Player of the Year: Derek Lekkerkerk
Derek Lekkerkerk put the Idaho amateur golf scene on notice last year when he won the Match Play in comeback fashion over Trevor Garus, the eventual 2023 Player of the Year. This year, he repeated that feat, downing Garus in the semi-final match before going on to win his second consecutive title at the Match Play. One month later, Lekkerkerk arrived at the Men’s Amateur at BanBury GC ready to flash his talent in stroke play competition. Opening each of his first two rounds with bogey-free scores of 30, Lekkerkerk stayed in the heat of contention for three straight days, entering the final round two shots clear of the field. The Twin Falls native was eventually tracked down by Ashton McArthur and Nate Smith, but the third-place finish hardly overshadows an exceptional week of golf against the state’s strongest field. To top his season off, Lekkerkerk returned to his favorite format (match play) to make a deep run into the semi-finals at the PNGA Men’s Amateur.
Women’s Player of the Year: Leighton Shosted
Leighton Shosted says she remembers playing Hillcrest Country Club when she was 12 years old, but that was hardly an asset when she showed up for the Women’s Amateur Championship this year. Fresh off announcing that she would be transferring to the University of Tennessee, Shosted returned to her home state amateur with her late grandfather on her mind. After opening with rounds of 66 and 68, she rolled into the final round with a nine-shot lead. Finishing with back-to-back bogeys, she won by 10 strokes. Shosted would go on to round out her summer with a fifth-place finish at the Utah Women’s Amateur.
Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: Nate Smith
After a second-consecutive 67 at the 2024 Idaho Men’s Amateur Championship, Nate Smith said he didn’t care as much as he used to. The former pro considered that to be a weapon; since he no longer makes a living with good golf shots, he finds it much easier to let the bad ones roll off his back. But when he entered the final round two shots behind the leader, the margin for poor golf shots was small. When he arrived on the 54th tee tied with two other players, nothing short of two exceptional golf shots would suffice. After he pulled them off, he buried a 30-foot bomb to win the title. The win would punch Smith’s ticket to the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship. Smith also went on to compete at the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur, advancing to the round of 64.
Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: Madison Gridley
The highlight of Madison Gridley's season came in July at her place of work. After graduating from Northwest Nazarene University in the spring, the newly-minted Mid-Amateur arrived at Hillcrest Country Club for the Women's Amateur Championships feeling like she had a home game on her hands. After taking a four-shot lead in the Mid-Amateur field with an opening round of 73, she coasted home to a five-shot victory over defending champion Bailey Henley. Also competing in the Women's Amateur Field, Gridley finished T-6.
Men’s Master-40 Player of the Year: Burke Spensky
Burke Spensky has long proven himself to be among Idaho's top amateur players, but the 2024 season represented a breakthrough over a decade in the making. The year started with good vibes as he went out and won the 2024 Idaho Hickory Championship and the IGA’s Mixed Couples Chapman (events that, while highly mentionable, do not count toward POY points). Then he was onto the 2024 championship season. Last year, Spensky lost in a playoff to Jesse Hibler at Pinecrest GC for the 2023 Mid-Amateur title, and found himself face-to-face with Hibler in a playoff again this year out at RedHawk GC. But this time, a par on the first playoff hole earned him both the Mid-Amateur and Master-40 titles — his first two major IGA Championship titles. Spensky returned to Pinecrest this fall for the Tournament of Champions and finished second.
Women’s Senior Player of the Year: Sheryl Scott
The 1997 Women's Amateur Champion got her 2024 season off to a roaring start with a victory at the Senior Women's Match Play Championship – her third career match play title. In July, Scott was one of a few senior players to take up the task of competing in both the Mid-Amateur and Women's Amateur fields at the 2024 Women's Amateur Championships. Finishing tied for 19th in the Women's Amateur, Scott collected a top-5 finish in the Mid-Amateur. Scott finished T-4 at the Women's Senior Amateur in August before rounding out her season with a second-place finish at the Senior Tournament of Champions.
Men’s Senior Player of the Year: Brian Swenson
Swenson, the 2017 Idaho Mid-Am champion, played some remarkably consistent golf this season. Swenson finished in the top five at three different championships this year, including a heartbreaking playoff loss for the Senior Amateur title. His top 20 finishes at the Idaho and PNGA Mid-Amateur Championships round out an impressive championship season. The Spurwing member also finished fourth at the Master-40 Championship.