Third round leader Hayden Springer (Pacific Coast Amateur photo)
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Washington (July 20, 2017) -- A full scale Texas invasion took over the top rungs of the Pacific Coast Amateur Thursday Texas Tech Junior
Hayden Springer took a one stroke lead at 6-under going into the final day of the 51st playing of the Championship.
Springer, from Trophy Club, Texas just outside of Dallas, scorched the 2015 U.S. Open site Chambers Bay for a six-under 65 to go with a 66 on Wednesday (a great comeback after an opening 74). He takes a 205 total, eight-under-par, going to the final round of the prestigious West Coast amateur tournament.
He will have to fight off fellow North Texan Will Zalatoris, the defending champion from Plano, Texas, and University of Texas' Doug Ghim, both tied for second at 7-under 206. Zalatoris shot a third round 67. Ghim put up a 69.
“I played really well today,” Springer said. “I made some putts and finished with two good birdies. I’m glad we can represent Texas well.”
Zalatoris, who failed to defend his title last week in the Trans-Mississippi Championship, shot a 67 highlighted by a birdie on the par 5 18th hole and said he was ready for back-to-back Pacific Amateur titles.
“In the past, my putting has been up and down, but my putting has been really solid this year and my irons have let me down. Today I was able to put it all together,” Zalatoris said. “With the Walker Cup coming up, I have to do my part to get in the mix.”
Springer, who qualified to play in the PGA Tour’s Fedex St. Jude Classic in Memphis in 2016, has come close before in some major amateur tournaments, but has yet to break through for a showcase victory.
He started his round with a bogey on the first hole for the second straight day, but rolled off five straight birdies on holes 9-13 and added two more birdies on holes 17-18 to grab the slim lead.
Zalatoris had five birdies to offset two bogeys to put himself in good shape for the final round.
Second round leader and last week's Trans-Miss winner at Prairie Dunes Cameron Champ posted 73 in the third round to join a group of three players that includes Denzel Ieremia of New Zealand and UNLV golfer John Oda of Hawaii.
ACE MAKER
Edwin Yi, the University of Oregon golfer, recorded an ace on the 165-yard par 3 15th hole at Chambers Bay today. Here's what he had to say about it.
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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