Max Herendeen is no stranger to Chambers Bay Golf Course. He grew up in nearby Bellevue, Washington, where he was close enough to take advantage of Chambers Bay’s Thursday night nine-hole skins games. Herendeen relished the opportunities to tee it up with his buddies as the sun set over one of the most beautiful properties in the Pacific Northwest.
Although the skins games were low stakes, he is no stranger to intense competition at Chambers Bay, the site of Jordan Spieth’s 2015 U.S. Open victory. Herendeen tied for ninth when the course hosted the 2020 Washington Men’s Amateur and considers it his favorite place to play in his home state.
Herendeen’s close ties to Chambers Bay may serve him well as he tees it up in the Pacific Coast Amateur, set for July 23-26 at the public facility on the Puget Sound, in University Place southwest of Tacoma.
Herendeen, a rising sophomore at the University of Illinois, is well-aware that he’s a completely different golfer from the one who finished in the top 10 at the state amateur just a few years ago. He’s added many tools to his game, but he is especially proud of how he has matured mentally, learning a lot from his first year with the Fighting Illini.
“Physically I’ve gotten bigger and stronger, but that can only take you so far, especially when this game is so mental. I’ve been able to get rid of the bad quicker and feed off the good a little bit better.”
Max Herendeen
Mental fortitude was key to Herendeen’s status as one of best newcomers in the nation during the 2023-24 season. He was a unanimous all-Big Ten first-team selection and made the starting lineup for the Fighting Illini in every event. On the way to being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Herendeen led Illinois in scoring average (70.87) and was the only freshman to win an NCAA regional this year, shooting 13-under 197 in the three-day tournament at Stanford (California) Golf Course.
Even with his improvements throughout the year as he adjusted to college golf and campus life, Herendeen may have the most takeaways from the last competition of his freshman season. He was in prime position to make a run for the NCAA individual championship entering the final round at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California. Herendeen could not get enough putts to drop, eventually making his second birdie of the day on the final hole to shoot even par and finish at 2-under 286, one shot behind Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai.
Reflecting on that day, Herendeen describes himself as experiencing a nervousness he had never felt before. Despite being in contention in numerous tournaments as a junior golfer, none of those events had the gravitas of the national championship.
Herendeen utilized breathing techniques and advice from Illinois head coach Mike Small as he came down the final stretch of the tournament with a chance to win the national title. The close call only fuels the competitive fire for Herendeen, who is grateful for a few more seasons of team golf.
“When we’re practicing, we push each other really, really hard, and that’s just helped my game in and of itself,” Herendeen said. “But then you can feed off energy on the course.… In team golf, you have four other guys that want you to win just as bad as you want them to win.”
Coincidentally, Herendeen’s first team college event was at another one of Washington’s finest courses, Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish. The chance to return home so soon after leaving for Illinois raised the stakes of Herendeen’s first attempt at qualifying for a college starting lineup. In a portender of success to come, Herendeen not only vaulted into the starting lineup but finished second in the event, losing out on the individual title in a playoff.
Ten months later, Herendeen enters the Pacific Coast Amateur, the sixth event in the summerlong Elite Amateur Golf Series, off strong performances at the Washington State Amateur (second) and the Sunnehanna Amateur (tied for fifth). A strong finish at home, coupled with a good performance at the Western Amateur next week, would boost Herendeen from his No. 44 spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Throw in a run in the U.S. Amateur next month at Hazeltine National, and Herendeen would be on the short list for the 2025 U.S. Walker Cup team.
Making that squad is his main individual goal, but this week Herendeen will be focused on the task at hand: showcasing the great golf in the often-overlooked Pacific Northwest and impressing the home crowd at Chambers Bay.
Herendeen is confident in his own development as a golfer over the years and is grateful for his first college season. He has proved that he has the shots to compete at the highest levels and is continuing to build a mental fortress that embraces the stressful moments of competitive amateur golf.
Jack Kelly, a close friend and frequent playing partner who is director of instruction and player development at Glendale Country Club in Bellevue, says that despite his national success, Herendeen is grounded in a way that many players are not.
“He’s proud of where he came from; he still plays with members of our club; he’s playing with one of my junior students today,” Kelly said. “I think he recognizes his place in the game and the influence he can have on junior golfers.… I don’t think he forgets where he’s from.”
The rest of us should not forget Herendeen, either. He could become the face of Pacific Northwest golf for a long time.
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Top: Max Herendeen has had a strong summer on the Elite Amateur Golf Series heading into this week's Pacific Coast Amateur at Chambers Bay near his home in Washington.
Ben Adelberg, The Back of the Range