Ryan Burnett (Pacific Coast Amateur photo)
As a first-time host of the storied Pacific Coast Amateur, the Columbia Edgewater Country Club was in a gracious mood on Tuesday, as 30 players managed to break par on the A.V. Macan-designed layout which sits directly west of the Portland (Ore.) International Airport.
Ryan Burnett, who recently completed his senior season at North Carolina with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships, turned in a sizzling back nine en route to posting a 5-under 66 on Tuesday which was good for a one-stroke lead over four golfers who posted rounds of 67.
After going out in even par 35, Burnett birdied four of his first five holes to start his second nine and added another on the par-4 17th to come home in 31, capping a brilliant start to the penultimate event in the Elite Amateur Series.
Related: LIVE SCORING and PREVIEW: 55th Pacific Coast Amateur
Max Herendeen, a top junior player from Bellevue, Wash., Canadian
Brady McKinlay (Utah Valley),
William Paysse (Texas A&M) and
Jiri Zuska (Louisville) are just one shot off the lead after turning in rounds of 67, while four golfers, including North & South Amateur champion
Luke Clanton, are two back at 3-under.
Christiaan Maas of Pretoria, South Africa, the highest ranked player in the field (WAGR No. 21), opened with a 1-over 72.
Caleb Surratt of Knoxville, Tenn., the leader after week four in the Elite Amateur Cup points race after posting three top-five finishes, shot a 1-over 72 in the opening round while 48-year-old
Chris Kamin of Phoenix, Ariz., the oldest player field, opened with an even-par 71 and sits five shots back.
Morse Cup
In the Morse Cup competition, the team from the Northern California Golf Association, comprised of Ryan Burnett, Sam Sommerhauser of Lincoln, Calif. and Brian Stark of Kingsburg, Calif., sits on top of the leaderboard at 7-under par. The team from the Idaho Golf Association sits five shots back in second place.
The Morse Cup team competition takes place concurrently during the first two days of the championship. There are 15 member Pacific Rim golf associations that comprise the Pacific Coast Golf Association, and each golf association selects three players to represent them in this team competition. Two of the top three scores from each team in rounds one and two will count for the Morse Cup portion of the event.
The Pacific Coast Amateur resumes tomorrow morning with second-round action at Columbia Edgewater Golf Club.
The Pacific Coast Amateur contributed to this report
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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