Play in the 2nd Annual WSGA Men’s and Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships opened Aug. 10 at Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Wash. In the Men’s Championship, Kevin Stray of Bellingham took first round honors with a 2-under par 70. Tom Brandes of Bellevue is alone in second place, just one stroke back after posting a 1-under par 71. Sean Packer of Lake Tapps is in third place, two strokes off the lead after posting the only even-par round of the day. Four players are three shots back at 1-over par 73. Leslie Folsom of Seattle and Ann Carr of Renton are tied for the lead in the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.The field is made up of 72 participants in the Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and 16 in the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Both championships feature Washington state’s top mid-amateur competitors. The men’s championship is set to begin at 8:40 a.m. To be eligible to compete in the WSGA Mid-Amateur Championships, players must belong to a WSGA Member Club, be 25 years of age or older, and carry a 16.4 or less handicap index for men and 24.4 or less for women.Golfweek ranked Loomis Trails Golf Club as the “4th Best Public Course in Washington” in 2011. In 2009, Semiahmoo Resort was named the 55th best resort in the United States.  According to PGA Director of Golf Brett Eaton, “Loomis Trails is a Northwest masterpiece combining natural beauty, high quality golfing conditions and pure, fast greens.”This is the 2nd WSGA Men’s and Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, which are two of 15 state championships conducted annually by the WSGA.  For more information about either championship, you can visit www.thewsga.org.For online scoring, a list of players and pairings, please visit www.thewsga.org.