Isaiah Salinda and former teammate Bradley Knox pose for a photo from Isaiah's mother
SAN FRANCISCO, California (July 26, 2018) — Local talent
Isaiah Salinda showed on Thursday how course knowledge can translate into scoring. The rising Stanford senior didn't just shoot the tournament record on the Olympic Club’s Lake Course, a U.S. Open layout acclaimed for its difficulty. With his former teammate Bradley Knox on the bag for him, Salinda carded ten birdies on his way to tying the all-time course record with a 9-under-par 62.
“It’s pretty special. This place is so great,” Salinda began. “I really felt like I got a lot better being a member here and getting to play this course for all my years here.”
In addition to shooting the lowest number that the Lake Course has seen in fifty-six years, and doing it in the third round of one of the biggest amateur events of his career, the golfer from South San Francisco earned himself the outright lead after entering the day six shots back of the 36-hole leader
Austin Eckroat.
“I just got hot with the putter,” said the Cardinal golfer.
That's not the only thing that was hot for Salinda though, who finished with five birdies in a row and some simply incredible golf shots.
“(My) second shot on No. 17 was pretty cool. It was like 250 yards into the wind. I just knew that if I hit a solid hybrid, it would kind of knuckle and take the spin off it and it would roll up there.”
Salinda proceeded to two-putt from just off the front edge to push his score to 8 under par for the day, before proceeding to roll in a five-foot birdie putt after sticking his approach on the 18th to finish with a 62.
“It’s cool to be part of the history at this course. It feels like every good player that’s ever lived almost has played this course.”
Though the day was Salinda’s, Eckroat grinded to make sure that he would still be within striking distance heading into tomorrow's final.
“I got off to a rough start today but was able to get it back, so its nice to know that I can die that,” explained the 2017 U.S. Junior medalist. “Everything is going well. Putting well. Hitting it well, so I’m excited for the opportunity tomorrow.”
Eckroat had trouble early on in his round, hitting snap hooks off the tee on Nos. 3 and 4 that cost him a few strokes. Fortunately for him, he was able to put things together and get some birdies going late in the round, making four on the back nine before ending with an unlikely bogey on what seemed to be a relatively simple up and down for the rising Oklahoma State sophomore.
“I’m just going to hit a few balls and a few putts and just get back to the rhythm that I had the first two days and at the end of the round (today).”
When asked about his game plan tomorrow, the OSU golfer replied, “Just take it shot by shot. It would be nice to close the gap early and just have a good battle after that…I’m excited.”
Eckroat’s Thursday playing partners are not for behind him. Salinda's Stanford teammate
Brandon Wu and Vanderbilt's
Will Gordon both shot their third consecutive under-par rounds in the event, and at 8 under par for the tournament, are well within reach of a win tomorrow.
Final round play will begin at 7:30 AM PT, with the final pairing of Salinda, Eckroat, and Wu at 9:30 AM.
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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