Matthew Diehl Sets Early Pace at the SCGA Amateur at Torrey Pines with Opening 66
The 126th edition of the SCGA Amateur Championship is underway at the iconic Torrey Pines Golf Course, where Redlands, California native Matthew Diehl surged to the top of the leaderboard with a 6-under-par 66 in Monday’s opening round on the South Course.
Playing with poise well beyond his years, Diehl fired matching nines of 34, highlighted by five birdies and just one bogey over the last 13 holes. The Grand Canyon University standout leads by one stroke over Pasadena’s Aidan Lee and holds a three-shot cushion over a tightly packed group including Samuel Foust and William Ma.
📊 Click here for live scoring and full leaderboard🏌️♂️ Play Torrey Pines This December
Want your own shot at Torrey? Join us Dec. 16–19 for the AmateurGolf.com Two-Man Links and Father & Son at Torrey Pines, presented by Callaway Golf. This 54-hole best-ball event features rounds on Torrey North, Torrey South, and Coronado, with divisions for Open, Father & Son, and Seniors.
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A Rising Collegiate ForceDiehl, a sophomore at Grand Canyon University, is no stranger to high-level performances. In the 2024–25 collegiate season, he:
• Was named WAC Freshman of the Year (the first in GCU history)• Earned All-WAC First Team honors• Posted a team-best 72.2 scoring average over 36 rounds• Won the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate with rounds of 68-65-69 (−14)• Finished T7 at the NCAA Regional at Montreux G&CC — the best GCU finish ever at an NCAA RegionalThe Redlands product also boasts an elite junior pedigree, including a 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur quarterfinal appearance, a Junior America’s Cup individual and team title, and top-20 national rankings in both Rolex and JGS standings.
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Championship Format & What’s AheadThis year’s SCGA Amateur spans 72 holes of stroke play, contested over both the South and North Courses at Torrey Pines, with a cut to the low 42 and ties after Round 2. The final two rounds will return to the South Course, with a three-hole aggregate playoff in case of a tie on Thursday.
Diehl and the rest of the field will tackle the North Course in Round 2 on Tuesday, with conditions expected to be slightly more scorable due to shorter yardage and softer greens. Round 2 tee times for the men begin at 12:30 PM off holes 1 and 10.
ABOUT THE
SCGA Amateur
This is the longest standing championship
conducted
by the SCGA. Started in 1900, this event
crowns the
best amateur player of the Association. Since
the
inaugural event, the SCGA Amateur has
enjoyed an
illustrious history of great champions, including
Tiger
Woods and Al Geiberger to more recent stars
including Beau Hossler and Patrick Cantlay. The
event is open to members with a Handicap
Index of
5.4 and below. Competitors undergo 18 holes
of
qualifying play in order to reach the final field
of 84
players. In the Championship, players compete
over
72 holes of stroke play with the top 42 and ties
advancing after the first 36 holes.
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