Chris Williams is shooting for history this week when he defends his Sahalee Players Championship title, looking to become the first player in the 19-year history of the event to win it twice.

Williams, the Washington senior-to-be who is the No. 2 ranked amateur in the world, will have to beat a stellar, international field of 66 to do it, including 17-year-old sensation Beau Hossler, who captured the attention of the golf world last month when he was leading the U.S. Open midway through the second round.

The event begins Wednesday at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish with 18 holes. There are two rounds Thursday and the final round is Friday.

Hossler, who finished 29th in the U.S. Open, played last week at the PGA Tour's AT&T National at Congressional Country Club outside Washington D.C. Once again, he did just fine against the pros, making the two-day cut.

All of this and he still has another year of high school in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.

Williams, one of five Huskies in the event, also was busy last week. He was in Northern Ireland for the Palmer Cup, a prestigious Ryder Cup-style event that pits the top college players from the U.S. against the best from Europe.

It has been a good start to the summer for Williams, who last month won the Washington Amateur by 11 shots. Williams was told by a reporter after the Amateur win that no one had won the Sahalee Players Championship twice.

"Really?" he said. "All right, I'll have to keep that in mind."

Several winners of the Sahalee Players Championship have gone on to the PGA Tour, including Puyallup's Ryan Moore (2004) and Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley (2006).

There is no charge to attend the event, but spectators must comply with the Sahalee dress code that requires a collared shirt. Jeans and cellphones are not allowed.

Tee times are from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday.