Tyson Shelley (Pacific Coast Amateur Photo)
While all eyes were on the final group in the final round of the 56th
Pacific Coast Amateur,
Tyson Shelley of Salt Lake City, Utah, came from down the leaderboard to shock everyone.
Shelley shot a bogey-free 8-under 62 to leap 12 spots on the leaderboard and force a playoff with second and third-round leader
Jack Buchanan of Australia.
Buchanan struggled, shooting a 1-over 71 but was still able to get in the playoff at 13-under with Shelley.
In the playoff, both players made par on the first hole, and then on the par-5 second hole, Buchanan missed the green and made par while Shelley was on the green in two shots and had a stress-free two-putt to win the championship.
"Everything just clicked when I was out on the course," Shelley said. "Off the tee, I was really confident in hitting the fairways, and I was able to execute that. Once I got the ball in play, my putter was really dialed this week, and I was able to hit some good putts, and I was fortunate enough to get a couple of long (putts) to drop."
Shelley added, "I didn't really know what I was at score-wise until I looked on the 18th green and saw that I was in contention."
The 62 tied the competitive course record and the lowest tournament round of Shelley's career.
"I actually started the round off slow by making par on the getable par-5, and then the birdies came afterward," Shelley said. "I wanted to play consistently throughout the day and give myself good looks all day."
After 72 holes and four days of golf, Shelley still had plenty of energy heading into the extra holes against Buchanan.
"I felt good during the playoff," Shelley said. "I did have a lot of adrenaline going, which pumped me up but overall, I felt like I had great energy to keep going."
Chuan-Tai Lin of Taiwan,
Neal Shipley of Pittsburgh, Pa., and
Jeffrey Guan of Australia all finished T3 at 11-under par.
Omar Morales of Mexico also had a phenomenal day, shooting 6-under 64 to vault 18 spots up the leaderboard and finishing T6.
Shelley knows how important this win is, with it being an
Elite Amateur Series event and a talented field.
"It means a lot to me and my confidence," Shelley said about the win. "Especially this last round. It made me realize that a tournament is never over until it is over. I think this win has my confidence high, and I am able to compete at high levels in any tournament."
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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