Former CGA and NCGA Amateur champion, Patrick Nagle joins current NCGA Four-Ball champion Scott Hardy, headlining a talented group of players from Northern California. The contingent is a mix of savvy veterans and up-and-coming stars. Several high school students are in the field, including Eddie Olson of Aptos and Daniel Lim of Cupertino (the last two California state high school titleholders), as well as Joseph Bramlett of Saratoga, Calif., runner-up in this year’s California Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach.

A field of 90 golfers will tee it up in the 72-hole stroke play event. with the first and third rounds being played on the Tom Doak-designed Pacific Dunes GC and the second and fourth rounds scheduled for the Bandon Dunes GC, designed by David McLay Kidd. All eyes will be on newly crowned U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Clay Ogden of West Point, UT, and defending champion and recently named U.S. Walker Cup player Michael Putnam of Tacoma, Wash.

Live scoring and other information can be found at www.pacificcoastamateur.com.

Other Northern Californians competing include:

• Travis Bertoni, Paso Robles • Kevin Chappell, Fresno • Dillon Dougherty, Woodland, CA • Eric Flores, Grass Valley • Will Johnson, San Francisco

Others competing in the Pacific Coast Amateur are:

• 2003 titleholder James Lepp of Abbotsford, British Columbia, who set single-round, total score and margin records in capturing the 2003 Pacific Coast Amateur at Capilano G & CC. It was Lepp, a junior at the University of Washington, who defeated Putnam in a three-hole playoff to win the NCAA Division I individual championship at Caves Valley GC.

• Erik Hanson of Redmond, Wash., a former pitcher for the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds who this summer has defeated both professionals and amateurs in winning the Pacific Northwest and Oregon Open championships;

• Erik Olson of Newcastle, Wash., the 2005 Pac-10 champion.

In addition to more than a dozen Canadians, international players include Adam Porker and Steve Jones of Melbourne, both members of the Australia national team (Jones won the 2004 Victoria Amateur) and Riki Kauika of Wangui, New Zealand.

MORSE CUP TEAM COMPETITION

Each of the 17 member associations in the Pacific Coast Golf Association (which conducts the championship) select three golfers for the annual Morse Cup team competition played in conjunction with the first two stroke play rounds. The best two of three scores each day count for the team title. Defending champion Washington State GA will be represented this year by the same trio that won last year: Putnam, Joe Lanza of Bainbridge Island and David Fern of Pullman.

Northern California will be represented by Lim, Olson, and Michael Wilson of Pacific Grove. The team will be attempting to duplicate or even improve on last year’s team runner-up finish.

ABOUT BANDON DUNES

Since it opened its first golf course in 1999, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has gained nearly instantaneous and widespread acclaim. Bandon Dunes GC (the first 18 holes) is rated as No. 5 on Golfweek’s “Top 100 Modern Courses,” No. 6 in Golf Digest’s top 100 public courses and No. 28 in GD’s “100 Greatest Courses.” Pacific Dunes, which opened in 2001, is rated even higher: No. 2 on the Golfweek list, No. 4 on GD’s top 100 public courses and No. 22 on that magazine’s “100 Greatest Courses.”

Bandon Trails GC -- the third layout, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw -- opened to rave reviews this spring and is sure to rank high on the next round of magazine ratings (Bandon Trails will not be used for the Pacific Coast Amateur).

In addition to the Pacific Coast Amateur, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort will play host to two major United States Golf Association championships: the 2006 Curtis Cup matches and the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR HISTORY

Although its present history dates only 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 the 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 the Seattle Golf Club on August 10-12, 1967. The objective was to start a golf championship with the stature that would attract the attention of the USGA and display the ability of amateur golfers in the western United States for possible Walker Cup Team selection. Since 1967, 12 Pacific Coast Amateur champions and another dozen who have competed in the event have been selected to U.S. Walker Cup squads.

The championship rotates each year among major golf clubs throughout the western United States and Canada (the 2006 Pacific Coast Amateur will be played at The Olympic Club in San Francisco).