- had a bogey-free round today
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (June 19, 2006) -- Brian Edick saved the best for last. The 21-year-old University of California Irvine senior, playing in the next-to-last group of the day, posted eight birdies en route to a 6-under-par 66 at Poppy Hills Golf Course, good for a three-shot lead after the first round of the 95th California Amateur Championship.
Edick leads fellow Valencia resident and UCLA student Brandon Christianson, who was in the day's final group, and had three birdies and 15 pars for a 3-under-par 69. Sean McNamara of Monte Sereno, who was an early starter, held the lead for most of the day with a 2-under-par 70, while nine golfers finished at 1-under-par 71.
Two in the 71 log jam -- Scott McGihon of Bermuda Dunes and Robert Funk of Canyon Lake -- helped the South to a 10-shot lead in the Roger Lapham Challenge Cup, which is conducted concurrently with the first two stroke-play rounds. With the best five of six scores counting for the team total, the South posted 365 to the North's 375.
The 21-year-old Edick (he turns 22 on July 1) -- runner-up in last year's SCGA Amateur Championship -- had two birdies and two bogies in his first eight holes, before making birdies on six of his last 10 holes.
"Some days it's a little easier than others," said Edick with a modest shrug after finishing his round. "I've had too many rounds where you get to 3- or 4-under par and then have it go the other way. You try to keep hitting shots and stay in the moment. If par is the best you can make, you try to make par. If bogey is the best you can do, you try to make bogey. Then you try to make your birdies when you can. You try not to get ahead of yourself."
David Westerfield of Bakersfield, who struggled to an 83, called Edick's round "a thing of beauty. When he got in trouble he took his punishment, but other than that, it was fairways, greens and putts. It was a lot of fun to watch."
Edick made some key putts on the back nine ("You can't shoot 66 on this course without making some big putts," he allowed) and finished strongly, getting up and down from the fringe on No. 17 and then two putting from 90 feet up and over a steep ridge on the par-5 finishing hole. He made a six-footer on No. 18 for his final birdie.
Christianson played in this event last year but didn't make the cut, so today's round was payback. "I played really consistent, really well," said Christianson. "Brian and I grew up together and he was in the group in front of me, so as I watched him doing well, I sort of fed off of that."
McNamara bogied the difficult par-3 second and par-4 fifth holes and shot 38 on the front nine. He stepped it up on the back nine, birdieing all three par-5 holes and another birdie on the par-13th. He didn't post a score higher than a 4 en route to a back-nine 32.
McGihon, the reigning Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) Amateur champion, had the day's most eventful round, posting seven birdies, six bogies and five pars en route to his 71. "It was definitely not the type of round I expected," said McGihon, who is noted for his steady demeanor and equally steady play. Funk -- who won this year's SCGA Mid-Amateur on his home course, Bear Creek Golf Club - also rode the roller coaster, posting five birdies and an eagle 3 on the finishing hole, along with four bogies and a double-bogey 5 on the 11th hole.
All three are among the 60 golfers hoping to move on after tomorrow's stroke-play round at Poppy Hills, the Northern California GA home course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and used in the PGA Tour's AT&T National Pro-Am. The 60 low scorers will play a third stroke-play round at famed Pebble Beach Golf Links after which the field will be trimmed to the low 32, who will begin match play on Thursday. The championship will conclude with the 36-hole final match on Saturday. All matches are played at Pebble Beach.
Both of last year's finalists struggled. Defending champion Don DuBois of Newport Beach, seeking to become the first back-to-back champion in more than 50 years, is tied for 61st after an opening-round 76 and the player he defeated, Joseph Bramlett of Saratoga, struggled to a 77. The last person to successfully his title was Dr. Frank "Bud" Taylor in 1954-55.
95th California Amateur Championship
At Poppy Hills Golf Course, Pebble Beach, CA
6,833 yards, par 72
18-hole results:
# 66 -- Brian Edick, Valencia.
# 69 -- Brandon Christianson, Valencia.
# 70 -- Sean McNamara, Monte Sereno.
# 71 -- John Yeun, Brea
Steve Woods, Cupertino
Matt Marshall, Los Gatos
Randy Haag, Burlingame
James Meyer, Dana Point
Robert Funk*, Canyon Lake
Michael Carpenter, Irvine
Scott McGihon*, Bermuda Dunes
Jeff Gilchrist, Carmichael.
# 72 -- Freddy Wolfe, Piedmont
Peter Campbell, Encinitas
Jim Stevens, La Quinta
Jordan Nasser, Anaheim Hills
Aaron Goldberg, Carlsbad
Scott Hardy*, Pittsburg.
# 73 -- Brad Shaw, Pacific Palisades
David Bartman, Los Angeles
Josh Bleyle, Mill Valley
Brandon Beck, Oak Park
Cameron Tringale, Laguna Niguel
Brett Kanda, La Crescenta
Adam Ichikawa, Los Altos
Adam Porzak, Poway
Adam Marshall, La Quinta
Chris Heintz, Brea
Marc Peterson, Modesto
Jerry Ledzinski, Carmel
Louie Bishop, Murrieta
Taylor Travis, Fremont
Dominic Debellis, Brentwood
John Pate*, Santa Barbara.
# 74 -- Gary Young, Redwood City
Brian Bazzel, Carlsbad
Roberto Galletti Jr., Clayton
Jason Pridmore, Ventura
Mark Modglin, Simi Valley
Sean Schweikert, Alpine
Kyle Thurston, Moorpark
Steve Lass, Santa Barbara
Bob Niger*, El Dorado Hills
Jess Stimack, Santa Rosa.
# 75 -- James Erkenbeck, San Diego
Bowen Osborn, Los Angeles
Andrew Biggadike, Palo Alto
Ryan Hallisey, Granite Bay
Todd Strible, San Marcos
Johnny Holmes, Riverside
Dane Chapin, Carlsbad
David Ober, Riverside
Pete Roberts, San Marcos
Ryan Thomas, Alameda
Brian Woolf, Granada Hills
John McClure*, Los Angeles
Chris Kilkenny, Arcata
Joshua Warthen*, San Diego
John Adams, San Clemente
Grant Doverspike, Bakersfield.
# 76 -- Dan Sullivan, Pasadena
Dennis Carson, Burlingame
Casey Boyns, Pacific Grove
Ed Cuff, Murrieta
Tim Lawlor, North Hollywood
Brian Lindley, Corona del Mar
Jon Peterson, Granite Bay
Josh Twist, Rancho Murieta
Eddie Olson*, Aptos
John Hasse, Berkeley
Don DuBois*, Newport Beach
Jason Anthony*, Fairfield
Matthew Pierce Jr, San Juan Capistrano
Erick Justesen, Cameron Park
Wes Leith, Davis
Garett Wagner, Brentwood
James Agate, Los Angeles
Gregor Main, Danville.
# 77 -- Gerry Simoni, Carlsbad
Steve Pircher, Manhattan Beach
Andrew Bowdish, San Jose
Jesse Contreras, Turlock
John Dunn, Hidden Valley Lake
Scott Almquist, Coto de Caza
Samuel Weeks, San Mateo
Mark Fernando, San Diego
Patrick Schoettler, Fresno
Steven Crane, San Francisco
Joseph Bramlett*, Saratoga
Paul Moore, Ukiah.
# 78 -- Stephen Molinelli, San Francisco
Jim Wilson, Durham
Mike Holt, Los Gatos
Michael Drake, Riverside
Jeffrey Hollis, Clovis
Gregg Hileman, Daly City
Tim Snow, Davis
Terry Foreman*, Antioch
Doug Miller, Thousand Oaks
Andy Kitchen, Redlands.
# 79 -- Amit Chopra, Newport Coast
Tommy Mansuwan, Woodland Hills
Jake Yount, San Diego
Erick Thorson, Westlake Village
Ryan Bohning, Marina
Chris Balster, Newport Beach
Matt Oehlschlaeger, Caruthers
Stefan Von Seeger, Rancho Murieta
Chris Jensen, Los Altos
Trent Tessler, Redwood City
Jeremy Moreno, Fresno
Greg Hash, Bakersfield
Bob Erling, Murrieta
Charles McDonald, San Jose
Jason D'Amore, Manhattan Beach
Zeric Hulvey, Santa Barbara.
# 80 -- Todd Angel, Clovis
Chris Cuttone, Merced
Patrick Duncan Jr, Rancho Santa Fe
Darryl Donovan, Gilroy
Dan Bieber, Alamo
Ben Wescoe, La Jolla
Michael Monaghan, San Diego
Greg Sato, South Pasadena
Tim Kellund, Berkely
Ben Garner, Laguna Beach
Sung Kim, Atwater
Mac Hunter, Vista.
# 81 -- Rod Ghilarducci, San Rafael
Erik Jarvey, Palmdale
Jerome Mestman, San Diego
Andrew Damron, San Diego
Gary Tewell, Fremont
David Hiebert, Los Altos
Michael Wilson, Berkeley
Elliott Wainwright, Hillsborough.
# 82 -- Mark Gardner, Redlands
Bill Albers, La Quinta
Don Elliott, San Jose
Regan Kusmes, Newport Beach
Kent Yamane, San Jose.
# 83 -- Michael Turner, Sherman Oaks
Mark Sumida, Laguna Niguel
David Westerfeld, Bakersfield
Dwain Barfuss, Redding
Bobby Powers, Watsonville
Bryan Hogan, Bakersfield.
# 84 -- Kyle Marshall, Santa Clarita
Steven Strong, Santa Rosa.
# 85 -- Jared Rankins, Ripon.
# 86 -- Trevor Carle, Santa Rosa.
# 87 -- A.J. Shiffert, Ivanhoe.
# 88 -- Kyle Candlish, Rancho Murieta
Michael Gideon, Quartz Hill.
# 90 -- Clinton McCook, Carlsbad