Colton Yates Leads BC’s Jared du Toit By One After Round One At Pacific Coast Amateur Golf Championship
Kimberley BC's Jared du Toit Continues To Play Well After Capturing The British Columbia Men's Amateur Just Over 10 Days Ago, Sitting In Second Spot At The 49th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship - Image Courtesy British Columbia Golf
PACIFIC COAST GOLF ASSOCIATION (Eugene, OR)- Colton Yates, a soon-to-be Junior on the Colorado State University Men's Golf Team, set the first round pace at the 49th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship hosted by the par 70, 6,975-yard Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Oregon.
Yates, ranked the #3127 amateur in the world according to Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking, got off to a great start at the 72-hole stroke play competition, making three consecutive birdies on holes 11, 12 and 13 (his second, third and fourth of the day).
After making bogey on the difficult 525-yard par-4 16th, Yates would close out his opening nine with consecutive birdies on 17 and 18 to make the turn at four-under-par 32.
He would continue his hot streak to start his back nine, making birdie on the third most difficult hole of day one at the 225-yard par-3 second hole. From there he would settle into a par-groove before finishing bogey-bogey to finish his round with a field-best three-under-par 67.
Not far in his rear-view mirror is the recently named Arizona State University Sun Devil recruit and British Columbia Men's Amateur Champion, Jared du Toit of Kimberly, B.C. Ranked #205 in the world, du Toit recently transferred to Arizona State from the University of Idaho and it seems the prospect of sunny weather has vaulted his game and his confidence in the right direction.
The Kimberly G&CC member started his round with three birdies in his first four holes. He would make another birdie on six while giving two back to the field on holes five and eight, rounding the turn at 2-under-par. After making a single bogey and birdie on his back nine, du Toit can sleep comfortably knowing he is within striking distance of Yates heading into round two.
Rounding out the top three after day one are Aaron Wise of Lake Elsinore, California and Austin Smotherman of Dallas, Texas.
Entering his second year as a member of the University of Oregon Ducks Men's Golf Team, Wise used his local knowledge on the Robert Trent Jones-designed Eugene Country Club to post a respectable one-under-par 69. The University of Oregon Ducks play and practice out of Eugene Country Club three times per week during their season.
Smotherman, who just finished his Junior year at Southern Methodist University in Dallas this past June, jockeyed for leading position all day, getting it to 3-under-par with only three holes left to play in his round. An unfortunate double-bogey on the 200-yard par-3 seventh (his 16th of the day) would set him back to a 1-under 69 total for round one, a very respectable score on a day that saw continuous wind question the judgment of some of the world's most talented amateur golfers.
Other notables in the field finishing round one in the T5 position with opening round 70's are Portola Valley, California's Maverick McNealy, Plano, Texas's Will Zalatoris, San Jose, California's Shotaro Ban, Trinity, Florida's Andrew McCain and reigning NCAA individual champion Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis, California. Beau Hossler of Mission Viejo, California is sitting in a tie for 10th place at one-over-par 71.
Defending Pacific Coast Amateur Champion Corey Pereira of Cameron Park, California is well within view of Yates after an opening round two-over-par 72. He sits in a tie for 13th with local Eugenian and Oregon Duck Zach Foushee as well as Dallas, Texas native Scottie Scheffler.
Currently there are four players under-par and twenty within five strokes of first round leader Yates.
Taking place concurrently with the first and second rounds is the battle for the Morse Cup, a 36-hole stroke play team competition using predetermined rosters representing the 15 member Associations of the Pacific Coast Golf Association. Scores for the low two members of the team count.
Sitting in a tie for the lead are Northern and Southern California Golf Associations at even par. Making things interesting heading into tomorrow's final round for the team competition are teams from the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, Alberta Golf, British Columbia Golf, Washington State Golf Association and host Oregon Golf Association. Southern California is the defending champion on the Morse Cup.
Held on an annual basis since 1967, with roots dating back to 1901, the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship boasts a rich history of showcasing some of the most talented golfers in the United States, Canada and beyond.
Past champions of the Pacific Coast Amateur who have gone on to successful professional careers include PGA Tour winners Billy Mayfair (1987, 1988), Jason Gore (1997) and Ben Crane (1998) as well as Web.com Tour winners and brothers Michael Putnam (2004) and Andrew Putnam (2010), both of whom won at Eugene Country Club.
For more information on the Championship, visit www.pacificcoastamateur.com. Spectators and Media are welcome to attend with entrance being free of charge. Play begins tomorrow at 7:30am PST.
For a full listing of round one scores, click here
Follow along with this years' Championship on social media using Twitter handle @pacificcoastam , Instagram @pacificcoastam and Facebook /pacificcoastamateur using the official hashtags #PACCoast and #EugeneCC
ABOUT THE PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Although its present history only dates from 1967, the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship's roots make it one of the oldest amateur golf championships in American history. The first tournament was held on the links of San Francisco Golf Club at The Presidio, April 24-27, 1901. Championships were held annually through 1911, all being conducted in California except for the 1909 championship, which was held at Seattle Golf Club in Washington. The Pacific Coast Amateur then ceased to exist, only to be reconstituted at Seattle Golf Club on August 10-12, 1967 with the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Southern California, Oregon and Arizona golf associations participating. Today, 15 member Pacific Rim golf associations comprise the Pacific Coast Golf Association.
ABOUT EUGENE COUNTRY CLUB
Founded in 1899, Eugene Country Club is a private, member owned club that offers world-class golf, as well as exceptional facilities for tennis, swimming, dining, fitness and entertaining throughout the year.