Shea Lague (AmateurGolf.com Photo)
In his hometown, Shea Lague shot a 5-under 66 in the first round of the 2024 AmateurGolf.com San Diego Amateur South at Steele Canyon Golf Club in Jamul, Calif., to lead the field by one shot heading into the final round.
And that is not even his best score at Steele Canyon.
Lague is a junior at San Diego State who was born and raised in Jamul, Calif. Steele Canyon Golf Club has been his home course for six years now, and he has played the course "more than he can remember". He has shot two rounds of 61 since calling Steele Canyon home.
With the course being a 27-hole course, the rotation for the field was the Ranch course as the front nine and Vineyard for the back nine.
"I am pretty happy with how I played Vineyard," Lague said. "Ranch was a little bit of a disappointment. Usually, I don't do too well on Vineyard, so it was nice to do something there."
Lague was 1-under through the first 12 holes, but he holed a bunker shot on No. 13 for birdie to move to 2-under.
"That kind of started it all," Lague said.
Lague shot a 30 on the back nine, with additional birdies on Holes No. 14, 17, and 18 to get to 5-under.
Jackson Moss of San Diego, Calif., Lague's teammate at San Diego State, is in solo second place after shooting a 4-under 67.
"The greens are really nice, so I was rolling it really well. Just got hot on the front (nine) and stayed steady on the back (nine).
Moss started his round with four pars, then made an eagle on No. 5, a birdie on No. 6, and he also birdied Holes No. 8 and 9 to shoot a 32 on the front nine after a bogey on No. 7.
Trae Cassell of Rancho Sante Fe, Calif., is in solo third place after a round of 2-under 69. He eagled No. 11 and almost holed out his drive on the 328-yard hole that pinches in at 50 yards out. Cassell tapped in a six-inch eagle putt.
"I won't be hitting driver there tomorrow," Cassell said.
Lague now heads into the final round looking to hold off his teammate Moss and the rest of the field.
"I want to hit more fairways," Lague said about the final round. "On the back nine, I hit fairways and hit the green to make birdies. On the front nine, I didn't hit fairways and was scrambling more."
Mark Strickland San Diego, Calif., shot an even-par 71 to lead the Senior Championship Division after the first round. Strickland recorded three birdies and three bogeys. Jim Plotkin of Carlsbad, Calif., and Anthony Ventura of Spring Valley, Calif., are T2 at 1-over and one shot back of Strickland.
ABOUT THE
AGC San Diego Amateur
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TOUR
PORTAL
The San Diego Amateur revisits, the
Steele
Canyon Golf Club. Steele Canyon is a
dramatic layout with three distinct nines and picture-
postcard views.
Your entry fee includes 2 rounds of golf, cart fee,
range
balls, prizes,
trophies for division winners, and
the opportunity to play two days at Golf Digest’s
prestigious “4-½ Star Award" and nationally
recognized
as one of Southern California’s best publicly
accessible
golf courses in a competitive setting. Championship,
Senior, and Net divisions.
DIVISIONS
CHAMPIONSHIP
For players aged 16 and over who have a USGA or
equivalent index of less than 5.5
SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
For players age 50 and over (as of the tournament
date) with a handicap index of less than 8.0. Note:
Must be 55 and over for NCGA Senior Points.
NET
For players 16 and over with handicap between 5.5
and 18.0.
MID-AM (subdivision of Championship)
For players age
25-49. Compete alongside the younger players in the
Championship Division, (same tees, same prize
opportunities) and if there are at least six Mid-Ams,
a
separate prize and trophy will be awarded.
SUPER SENIORS (subdivision of Senior)
For players age
65+. Compete alongside the younger senior players
in
the
Senior Division, (same tees, same prize
opportunities) and if there are at least six players 65
or
over, a
separate prize and trophy will be awarded for low
super senior.
WOMEN (subdivision of Championship)
Will play in the Championship
Division but from a shorter tee; if there are at least
six women in
the field, a separate prize and trophy will be
awarded. Net players will
play in the Net Division but from a shorter tee.
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