UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA (July 17, 2017) - The 51st
Pacific Coast Amateur Championship, hosted by the Washington State and Pacific Northwest golf associations, will take place at
Chambers Bay Golf Club from July 18-21 2017.
Opened in 2007, Chambers Bay has played host to a number of high-profile amateur and professional events in its short history, including the 2010 US Amateur Championship and most recently, the 2015 US Open Championship. This is the first time Chambers Bay has hosted the Pacific Coast Amateur and the second year-in-a-row the prestigious event will be held in the state of Washington, having been contested last year at the Seattle Golf Club.
"Chambers Bay is a world-class championship site," stated Troy Andrew, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Golf Association, the organizing body for the event.
"We couldn't be more excited to be in University Place this year. Chambers Bay's notoriety amongst the golfing community in general and the elite amateur circuit is unmatched. Judging by the strength of our field this year, it would be safe to say the players are just as excited to play out here as the course is to host them."
Leading the charge of top-ranked world amateurs is defending champion
Will Zalatoris of Plano, Texas. Zalatoris, coming off a strong showing last week at the Trans-Miss, looks to repeat as champion and add to a banner year that has included being named the ACC Player of the Year while at Wake Forest.
Hoping to add another title to his trophy case will be
Braden Thornberry of Olive Branch, Mississippi. The top-ranked player in the
Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Amateur Rankings, Thornberry is riding immense momentum this summer, having won the NCAA individual title as a member of the Ole Miss men's golf team earlier this year.
A pair of NCAA team match play champions have trekked to the Pacific Northwest to test their hand at Chambers Bay.
Brad Dalke of Norman, Oklahoma and
Grant Hirschman of Collierville, Tennessee were both crowned
national champions as members of the Oklahoma Sooners and will be making their Pacific Coast Amateur debuts.
A number of competitors in the field have also played on the professional stage as amateurs, including at the Masters and the US Open.
Stewart Hagestad of Newport Beach, California took
low amateur at Augusta earlier this April and recent US Open media favorite,
Cameron Champ of Sacramento, California will be making his second appearance at the Pacific Coast Amateur.
Building off the international momentum from last year at Seattle Golf Club, the field this year has again attracted a strong contingent of players from all corners of the globe. Strong international presence will be achieved with representation from eight different countries outside of North America, including Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China, Japan, Mexico, Chile and the Republic of South Korea. Many players with international backgrounds sit within the top-100 in the world rankings.
Eight Washington residents will be competing in the field, including
Andrew Whalen and
Aaron Whalen, both of Ephrata,
Frank Garber of Kirkland,
Eric Ansett of Spokane, and Richland's
Drew McCullough.
All players will be vying for the individual Ed Updegraff Trophy, named after the long-time volunteer and standout amateur golfer who played on three Walker Cup teams (1963, 1965, 1969), won the inaugural Pacific Coast Amateur title at Seattle Golf Club in 1967 and was the 1999 Bob Jones Award recipient from the USGA.
Taking place concurrently with the first and second rounds will be 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. The defending champions of the Morse Cup are the contingent from the Southern California Golf Association.
Play for the 72-hole stroke play championship will begin tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. with practice rounds and a players' banquet being held today. Play will conclude with the individual champion being crowned on Friday, July 21.
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 and Canada.
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 Michael Putnam (2004), Andrew Putnam (2010) and Aaron Wise (2015).
ABOUT THE
Pacific Coast Amateur
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. Players can
be
invited to this 72-
hole stroke play event by their Pacific Coast G.A.
member golf
association, or as an individual.
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