James Leow secures Pacific Coast title in tight three-way battle

July 22, 2022 | by Pacific Coast Golf Association

- Pacific Coast Amateur photo

The former Arizona State golfer and Palmer Cup player birdied the last for a two-stroke victory at Columbia Edgewater in Portland

James Leow of Singapore shot rounds of 69-67-65-68 to win the 55th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship, hosted this week at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore.

“I’m really excited to get the win,” said Leow, “it’s been a while, I’ve been competing and my golf has been a little up-and-down, but it’s always good to play some good golf down the stretch of the week.”

Leow entered the day in a tie for first place with Caleb Surratt of Knoxville, Ten., and the two were paired together in the final round along with Sam Choi of Albuquerque, N.M.

Leow and Surratt were neck and neck the entire final round, both players got around the front nine in even par and they stood on the tenth tee tied for the lead. They both made birdie on 10, Leow made birdie on 11, and then Surratt tied it back up with a birdie on 12. They matched pars on 13 and then both birdied No. 14.

On the 15th hole, Surratt made bogey while Leow made par to take a one-shot lead. Then on the 16th hole, Leow gave it right back with a bogey of his own, and the two players were tied again.

On the par-4 17th hole, both players hit the green in regulation. Leow got in for par while Surratt made bogey. This gave Leow a one-up advantage with one to play over Surratt and Sam Choi, who birdied the 17th to climb back in it.

After a perfect tee shot on the par-4 18th, Leow stuck his second shot to four feet and he drained the birdie putt for the win to finish at 15-under for the championship.

“I didn’t check my phone, but I had a rough idea of where I was at and where the other two (Surratt and Choi) were at,” said Leow. “Down the stretch it was really tight with Sam making a comeback and Caleb chasing after me too, it was a great match and I had so much fun out there.”

Leow, who is 25 years old, just finished up his senior season as a member of the Arizona State University men’s golf team. He played on the International team in the 2022 Palmer Cup, and he’ll be playing in both the Western Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship later this summer.

“This reassures me that I’ve been practicing hard and I’m moving in the right direction,” said Leow, “my next event is the Western Amateur where all the top amateurs in the world are going to play, so it just reassures me that I have what it takes to compete against the best. I can win the Western Amateur, too.”

Finishing in a tie for second place, two shots back at 13-under par, are Caleb Surratt and Sam Choi. Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Ontario finished in fourth place and Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alberta finished in fifth.

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

James Leow secures Pacific Coast title in tight three-way battle

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...