Wake Forest Demon Deacon Sophomore of Plano, Texas scores a three-under-par 67 to take a one stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau; Northern California Golf Association claims Morse Cup Team competition; Sulman Raza of Eugene, Oregon cards low round of the day
PACIFIC COAST GOLF ASSOCIATION (Eugene, OR) - 2014 USGA Junior Champion Will Zalatoris of Plano, Texas and a member of the Wake Forest Demon Deacon Men's Golf Team, posted an impressive three-under-par second round to take a one-stroke-lead at the 49th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship hosted by Eugene Country Club.
After opening the Championship with a modest even-par 70 yesterday, Zalatoris put himself in great position heading into the final 36-holes of the Championship with a three-under-par 67 second round.
Zalatoris, who had grandeur amateur competition plans this summer before falling ill and requiring an emergency appendectomy, is glad to be back in his form that garnered him attention as a preliminary Walker Cup hopeful.
"Coming off surgery, I was really looking forward to this week. My game started to click right after the final round of the Southern Amateur and I played some really good rounds at home recently," stated Zalatoris.
"My dad joked that 'I am back' but I really haven't been anywhere it is just getting back in the rhythm of things."
Asked about how motivating it was to have John 'Spider' Miller, the Captain of the United States Walker Cup team, speak at the Player's Dinner on Monday and watch all week, Zalatoris was true to his determined nature as a golfer.
"I get a chance to represent my country and I know that the tables weren't really in my favor in May and June when I had the surgery but I had a really good year last year," stated Zalatoris.
"All I can do is play good golf and control my emotions."
Sitting one stroke back from the Texan is a part time Texas native in Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis, California. DeChambeau, the reigning NCAA individual champion and member of the Southern Methodist University Mustang Men's Golf Team out of Dallas, posted rounds of 70-68 (138) to sit at two-under-par for the Championship, solo second.
First round leader Colton Yates of Scottsdale, Arizona slid slightly down the leaderboard with a three-over-par 73, en route to posting 140 (67-73). Tied with Yates in third are Scottie Scheffler of Dallas, Texas (72-68), Andrew McCain of Trinity, Florida (70-70) and University of Oregon Duck Aaron Wise of Lake Elsinore, California who posted 69-71.
Other leaderboard notables to watch heading into the home stretch of the 72-hole stroke play competition is defending champion Corey Pereira of Cameron Park, CA (72-69-141; T7) and local Eugenian and Oregon Duck Sulman Raza (75-66-141; T7). Raza posted to low round of round two with a four-under-par 66. Maverick McNealy of Portola Valley, California sits tied for 11th after rounds of 70-72 (142).
Capturing the Morse Cup team competition is the contingent from the Northern California Golf Association lead by DeChambeau, McNealy and Pereira. Finishing runner-up in the 36-hole team competition was their competitors to the south and defending champions Southern California Golf Association.
Held on an annual basis since 1967, with roots dating back to 1901, the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship boasts a rich history of showcasing some of the most talented golfers in the United States, Canada and beyond.
Past champions of the Pacific Coast Amateur who have gone on to successful professional careers include PGA Tour winners Billy Mayfair (1987, 1988), Jason Gore (1997) and Ben Crane (1998) as well as Web.com Tour winners and brothers Michael Putnam (2004) and Andrew Putnam (2010), both of whom won at Eugene Country Club.
For more information on the Championship, visit www.pacificcoastamateur.com . Spectators and Media are welcome to attend with entrance being free of charge. Play begins tomorrow at 7:30am PST.
For a full listing of scores, click here
For a photo of Zalatoris, please click here
Follow along with this years' Championship on social media using Twitter handle @pacificcoastam , Instagram @pacificcoastam and Facebook /pacificcoastamateur using the official hashtags #PACCoast and #EugeneCC
ABOUT THE PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
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.
ABOUT EUGENE COUNTRY CLUB
Founded in 1899, Eugene Country Club is a private, member owned club that offers world-class golf, as well as exceptional facilities for tennis, swimming, dining, fitness and entertaining throughout the year.
