MORGAN HILL, Calif. (Jan. 18, 2019) – Jackson Lake was hardly out of it entering the final round of the AmateurGolf.com Silicon Valley Amateur, but for a junior golfer among collegians, any deficit becomes a little more mountainous. It’s what makes Lake’s four-shot, come-from-behind victory on Sunday so noteworthy.

For Lake, a high school senior from Fresno, Calif., a bogey-birdie-eagle start Sunday morning on Coyote Creek’s Tournament Course allowed him to get right back in the mix. A first-round 70 on the Valley Course had left him two off the pace set by UC Davis junior Jae Kim in the first round.



Lake, tall and lanky, added another bogey and four more birdies on a windy day. Two of those birdies came at Nos. 17 and 18, effectively increasing his winning margin. At 7-under 137, he finished four shots ahead of his closest competitors.

The Silicon Valley Amateur features the deepest field on the AGC Tour. Past champions include some of the West Coast’s most notable collegians, like Cal senior Collin Morikawa (2016) and alum Max Homa (2011). In fact, Lake’s 7-under total ties the second-lowest total in this event’s history. Only Homa, at 133, scored lower.

In another year, Lake, who plays out of Belmont Country Club, will be one of those Pac-12 standouts. He’s headed to Oregon State in the fall of 2019. Lake has already qualified for the 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Aidan Tran, who had a final-round 70 to finish 18th. That tournament will be played at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon later this spring, site of the next AGC Tour event, the Bandon Dunes Two-Man Links Championship on April 26-29.

Overall at Coyote Creek, Lake was one of six players to finish 36 holes below par. Four more finished at even. Behind Lake, the next-closest player was mid-amateur Redmond Lyons. Playing the championship-division tees, Lyons had rounds of 70-71 and tied for second with UC Davis freshman Daniel Kim.

Three players in fourth at 1 under included UC Davis teammates Thomas Hutchison and Tanner Hughes as well as St. Mary’s redshirt sophomore Mikey Slesinski.

Rick James

AmateurGolf.com tournament director Kyle Rector also teed it up -- amid juggling scorecards and directing play -- and finished as the second-highest mid-amateur. A final-round 73 left him 20th at 3 over.

In the senior division, scores rocketed up in Sunday’s windy conditions, but Rick James was able to hold on for the win. After an opening 72, James came back with 81. At 9 over, he finished a shot ahead of Jeff Britton, who won the senior division in last week’s AmateurGolf.com San Diego Amateur.

“Just hanging in there today on the back nine, making some pretty good par or bogey putts – sometimes those are as important as the birdie putts,” James said in recounting what he did well on Sunday.

Emily Sumner, who plays for Santa Clara University, managed to defend her title in the women’s division. Rounds of 78-76 left her 10 over, and with a four-shot edge on Aubrey Kennett in second.

“Today I really focused on making sure my 6-foot putts were going in, which really helped a lot from yesterday,” Sumner said.

AmateurGolf.com extends special thanks to Shawn McEntee, PGA, and the entire staff at Coyote Creek for their warm hospitality. The Silicon Valley Amateur went off under tremendous course conditions, setup, and hospitality both days. Mark your calendars – the event returns to Coyote Creek Jan. 11-12, 2020 for the 16th annual!

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