Aidan Lee wins Southern California Match Play Championship
Aidan Lee (SCGA photo)
Aidan Lee raced out to a three-hole lead on the front that he never surrendered en route to capturing the Match Play crown at Goose Creek GC, defeating Sean Birren 1-up in the championship match to wrap up an impressive series of five rounds in three days.
Lee, a Pasadena native, found himself in the championship after a strong morning performance where he eliminated Alex Resurreccion, 5 & 4, before going up against Birren, who only needed 16 holes to bounce his semifinal opponent, in the afternoon.
Lee established a lead on the third hole, then doubled it on No. 4 with his first birdie of the round. He remained up by two holes as the match headed to the back nine. Birren reduced the deficit to one hole after a par on No. 12, but Birren stole it right back on No. 13, giving him five holes to retain a two hole advantage.
Though Birren brought it back down to 1-up on the fifteenth hole, Lee held off any potential comeback through the final three holes to officially claim the crystal and win his first SCGA title.
With the victory, the Saint Mary’s College golf product earned exemptions into the 2024 SCGA Amateur Championship and 2024 California Amateur Championship.
ABOUT THE Southern California Match Play
The Match Play and Senior Match Play
championships
began in 2008 as a means of bringing new credence
and incentive to the SCGA points program. The
SCGA
points program awards points to golfers who give
strong performances in SCGA, USGA, CGA and other
selected outside tournaments. This Championship is
open to SCGA members with a
Handicap index of 5.4 or below. Players must qualify
or earn an exemption into the
championship field.
The championship format is single-elimination match
play.
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