Burnett off to a fast start at the Pacific Coast Amateur

July 19, 2022 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

Ryan Burnett (Pacific Coast Amateur photo)

North Carolina standout opens with a 5-under 66 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club

As a first-time host of the storied Pacific Coast Amateur, the Columbia Edgewater Country Club was in a gracious mood on Tuesday, as 30 players managed to break par on the A.V. Macan-designed layout which sits directly west of the Portland (Ore.) International Airport.

Ryan Burnett, who recently completed his senior season at North Carolina with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships, turned in a sizzling back nine en route to posting a 5-under 66 on Tuesday which was good for a one-stroke lead over four golfers who posted rounds of 67.

After going out in even par 35, Burnett birdied four of his first five holes to start his second nine and added another on the par-4 17th to come home in 31, capping a brilliant start to the penultimate event in the Elite Amateur Series.

Related: LIVE SCORING and PREVIEW: 55th Pacific Coast Amateur

Max Herendeen, a top junior player from Bellevue, Wash., Canadian Brady McKinlay (Utah Valley), William Paysse (Texas A&M) and Jiri Zuska (Louisville) are just one shot off the lead after turning in rounds of 67, while four golfers, including North & South Amateur champion Luke Clanton, are two back at 3-under.

Christiaan Maas of Pretoria, South Africa, the highest ranked player in the field (WAGR No. 21), opened with a 1-over 72. Caleb Surratt of Knoxville, Tenn., the leader after week four in the Elite Amateur Cup points race after posting three top-five finishes, shot a 1-over 72 in the opening round while 48-year-old Chris Kamin of Phoenix, Ariz., the oldest player field, opened with an even-par 71 and sits five shots back.

Morse Cup
In the Morse Cup competition, the team from the Northern California Golf Association, comprised of Ryan Burnett, Sam Sommerhauser of Lincoln, Calif. and Brian Stark of Kingsburg, Calif., sits on top of the leaderboard at 7-under par. The team from the Idaho Golf Association sits five shots back in second place.

The Morse Cup team competition takes place concurrently during the first two days of the championship. There are 15 member Pacific Rim golf associations that comprise the Pacific Coast Golf Association, and each golf association selects three players to represent them in this team competition. Two of the top three scores from each team in rounds one and two will count for the Morse Cup portion of the event.

The Pacific Coast Amateur resumes tomorrow morning with second-round action at Columbia Edgewater Golf Club.

The Pacific Coast Amateur contributed to this report

Results: Pacific Coast Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	James Leow	, Singapore	1200	69-67-65-68=269
T2	Sam Choi	Anaheim, CA	900	69-68-65-69=271
T2	Caleb Surratt	Indian Trail, NC	900	72-65-64-70=271
4	Matthew Anderson	, Canada	700	69-69-69-65=272
5	Brady McKinlay	, Canada	700	67-70-69-68=274

View full results for Pacific Coast Amateur

About the Pacific Coast Amateur

Burnett off to a fast start at 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 P...