California Amateur: Medalist Chen seeks to end 13-year drought
June 30, 2022 | by Northern California Golf Association
see also: Kuangyu Chen, View results for California Amateur, Granite Bay Golf Club
Cal Berkeley golfer Tony Chen would be the first No. 1 to win the event since 2009
No.1 seed Kuangyu Chen is on to another day of action at this week's California Amateur Championship at Big Canyon Country Club.
Chen (pictured, above), who goes by Tony and is a sophomore at Cal-Berkeley, squeaked into Friday's quarterfinals after edging No.16 Marc Engellenner. Engellenner, the winner of last year's Sacramento City, had taken a 1-up lead with a birdie on the par-4 11th. He'd hold that lead over the next four holes until Chen struck back with a clutch birdie on the par-5 16th to tie the match up.
Following a halve on No.17, Chen again came up big, making par on the 18th while Engellenner made bogey. In Friday's quarterfinals, Chen will next face No.9 Casey Leebrick. Leebrick, a senior at Sacramento State, moved on with a 3 and 2 win over Shea Lague.
Also moving on to the quarterfinals were NorCal players Sam Sommerhauser and Kevin Huff. The two will square off in one of the quarterfinals matches.
Sommerhauser, a junior at the University of Arizona and the No.30 seed, won last year's NCGA Amateur at Spyglass Hill. Huff, the No.6 seed and a former player at Fresno State, has yet to trail in a match.
The other two quarterfinals will be SoCal showdowns. No.31 Alexander Yang will play No.23 Joe Neuheisel and No.29 Charlie Reiter will take on No.21 Tyler Kowack. Reiter, one of the biggest hitters in the field, recently competed in the U.S. Open and was runner-up in 2020.
The last No.1 seed to win the event was Geoff Gonzalez in 2009. Chen, who was born in China, would become only the second join Capt. A. Bullock Webster (1924) and Francis Brown (1930) as the only foreign-born players to win the event. Bullock-Webster was born in England, while Brown was born in Hawaii in 1892 before the islands became a state.
Results: California Amateur
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Palm Desert, CA | 600 | ||
| Runner-up | El Dorado Hills, CA | 400 | ||
| Semifinals | , China | 300 | ||
| Semifinals | Carlsbad, CA | 300 | ||
| Quarterfinals | San Luis Obispo, CA | 200 |
About the California Amateur
The Championship is open to amateur golfers who have established current indexes of 4.4 and are members in good standing of the Southern California Golf Association, the Northern California Golf Association, or the Public Links Golf Association of So...
Most Popular Articles
FINAL RESULTS: 2026 Australian Men’s Amateur Championship
Feb 6, 2026Billy Dowling pulled away with a closing 7-under 63 to win the 2026 adidas Australian Men’s Amateur Championship at 18-under.
2026 Ben Hogan Award Watch List: 35 Names to Know This Spring
Jan 29, 2026The 2026 Ben Hogan Award watch list is out—35 college golf standouts are in the early mix for the game’s top individual honor.
Titleist Fitting Philosophy: The Competitive Amateur’s Fastest Path to Lower Scores
Jan 26, 2026Competitive golf is a game of small edges. Titleist’s fitting approach combines expert human insight and honest data
NCAA Champion Michael La Sasso Turns Pro, Signs With LIV Golf
Jan 20, 2026Michael La Sasso is going LIV, joining Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC and passing on the 2026 Masters.
Early Invites Announced for the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur
Jan 24, 2026A running list of the first confirmed names headed to Augusta.