Biography
WASHINGTON STATE CAREER
2023-24 | Fifth Year
Appeared in all 12 tournaments in his final year as a Coug … played 37 rounds and had scores count in 34 of them … recorded a 71.54 scoring average for the season, good for fourth all-time in a single season in WSU history … finishes his Cougar career with a scoring average of 72.58 over 136 career rounds, good for fourth all-time in program history … recorded 18 par-or-better rounds, nine rounds scoring under 70, six top-25 finishes and two top-10 finishes in his fifth-year … helped the Cougs win the 2024 National Golf Invitational, the program’s first postseason tournament win … had an incredible showing at the NGI with a 9-under, 207 54-hole score to place fifth … he also matched his career-low single-round score twice, shooting a 7-under 65 in both the second and third rounds of the 2024 NGI … shot a career-best 17-under, 199 at the Golfweek Fall Challenge to share medalist honors … his 17-under was the lowest score to par in WSU Men’s Golf history, and his score of 199 was the second-lowest three-round score in program history … went 5-under, 211 at the Pacific Invitational, placing tied for 21st … shot 2-under, 214 to place tied for 18th at the John Burns Intercollegiate … went 3-under, 210 and placed tied for 25th at the Prestige.
2022-23 | Senior
NCAA Regional Individual Participant … All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention … Played in 12 tournaments, including the NCAA Morgan Hill Regional as an individual … Became the first Coug in 13 seasons to earn a bid into an NCAA Regional, as he was selected to play in the 2023 NCAA Morgan Hill Regional … Is one of three Cougs to be selected to play at an NCAA Regional as an individual … Finished in a tie for 32nd at the 2023 NCAA Morgan Hill Regional after shooting 6-over 222 … Posted the best finish by a Coug at a Pac-12 Championship by placing third at the 2023 Pac-12 Championship with a four-round score of 12-under 268 … Only the second WSU golfer to post a top-five finish at a Pac-12 Championship … At the 2023 Pac-12 Championship he posted round scores of 68-66-68-66 to conclude the tournament at 12-under 268, which set the WSU record for the lowest individual score at the Pac-12s … His second and fourth-round scores of 4-under 66 at the 2023 Pac-12 Championship not only established a new personal best for Yanagi but it is also tied for the sixth-lowest single-round score by a Coug at a Pac-12 Championship … Led the team in scoring average at 71.64 through 36 rounds of play … His scoring average of 71.64 is the second-best single-season scoring average in WSU history … Had his score count in a team-best 27 rounds … Shot even par in 16 rounds and under par in 14 rounds … Had seven rounds where he posted scores in the 60s … Carded a season-best 66 in three different rounds … Collected three top-five and four top-10 finishes on the year … Opened the season finished tied for fifth in back-to-back tournaments at the Husky Invitational and the Mark Simpson Invitational … Shot 2-under 214 to finish in a tie for fifth at the Husky Invitational and helped the Cougars win their first tournament as a team in Seattle in program history … Followed up his Husky Invitational performance by finishing tied for fifth at the Mark Simpson Invitational after carding 2-under 208 … Carded 6-under 210 at the El Macero Classic to finish in a tie for seventh … Part of WSU’s lineup that finished tied for third at the 2023 Pac-12 Championship, which is the best team finish at a Pac-12 Championship in program history.
2021-22 | Junior
Played in all 10 tournaments, one as an individual, in his third season with Washington State … Played in 31 rounds and had his score count in 24 rounds … Posted a scoring average of 72.48, which is the 15th-best scoring average in program history … Helped the 2021-22 WSU team set the school record for team scoring average at 288.17 … Collected the ninth-best Par 4 Score in WSU history at 4.1163 … Posted one top-ten finish and five top-25 finishes … Shot under par in six rounds … Helped the Cougars win the Visit Stockton Invitational, where WSU carded a program-record 54-hole score of 816 (-36) … Shot a career-best 6-under 65 in the first round of the Visit Stockton Invitational, which is tied for the program’s seventh-lowest single-round score … Collected his best finish of the season at the Husky Individual Invitational, where he finished tied for eighth after carding a 5-under 211 … Posted his best 54-hole score of the season at the Visit Stockton Invitational, where he carded 208 (-5) to finish tied for 17th … Finished 58th at the 2022 Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships.
2020-21 | Sophomore
Played in four tournaments for the Cougs … Had his score count in nine of the 12 rounds he competed in for WSU … Held a scoring average of 75.42 in 14 rounds … Carded a season-low 71 in the first round at The Goodwin … Collected his best three-round tournament score of the season at The Joust, where he carded 12-over par; 222 … Posted a season-best finish at The Joust, where he wrapped up the tournament in a tie for 23rd.
2019-20 | Freshman
Competed in all seven tournaments as a true freshman … Posted three top-50 finishes … Collected the third-best scoring average on the team at 74.65 per round … Carded par or under-par in five rounds … Set the WSU freshman record for best Par 3 Score at 3.1205 ... Shot a career-low 68 in the first round at the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational (Oct. 21-23) … Finished in a tie for 22nd overall at the Pacific Invitational to post the highest finish of his career … Posted his best three-round score of 216 (E) at the Pacific Invitational.
Prior to Washington State
High School
Earned four varsity letters at Kamehameha Schools in Hawaii…as a freshman, was a part of the school’s first Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) win…as a junior, finished second as an individual at the BIIF Championships and tied for 10th at the NHSGA Hawaii Boys High School Golf Championships…senior year (2019), captured the BIIF individual championship and advanced to the State championships where he finished fifth…participated on Team Hawaii at the Eddie Hogan Cup in 2017…also participated in the Junior PGA, was a Waikola Amateur Champion…placed second at the 2018 Big Island Amateur Championship.
Personal
Born Christian Pono Seitaro Yanagi on August 13 in Hilo , Hawai'i …Father Tracy is a ramp agent for Hawaiian Airlines … Mother Lori manages a restaurant … His sister Nani Yanagi played on the Washington State women's golf team…Majoring in Sport Management at WSU.
