Matthew Diehl Sets Early Pace at the SCGA Amateur at Torrey Pines with Opening 66
July 28, 2025 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff
see also: Southern California Amateur Championship, Valencia Country Club
Grand Canyon University sophomore and 2025 WAC Freshman of the Year Matthew Diehl carded a 66 on the South Course at Torrey Pines
Playing with poise well beyond his years, Diehl fired matching nines of 34, highlighted by five birdies and just one bogey over the last 13 holes. The Grand Canyon University standout leads by one stroke over Pasadena’s Aidan Lee and holds a three-shot cushion over a tightly packed group including Samuel Foust and William Ma.
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Learn more & registerA Rising Collegiate Force
Diehl, a sophomore at Grand Canyon University, is no stranger to high-level performances. In the 2024–25 collegiate season, he:
• Was named WAC Freshman of the Year (the first in GCU history)
• Earned All-WAC First Team honors
• Posted a team-best 72.2 scoring average over 36 rounds
• Won the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate with rounds of 68-65-69 (−14)
• Finished T7 at the NCAA Regional at Montreux G&CC — the best GCU finish ever at an NCAA Regional
The Redlands product also boasts an elite junior pedigree, including a 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur quarterfinal appearance, a Junior America’s Cup individual and team title, and top-20 national rankings in both Rolex and JGS standings.
Championship Format & What’s Ahead
This year’s SCGA Amateur spans 72 holes of stroke play, contested over both the South and North Courses at Torrey Pines, with a cut to the low 42 and ties after Round 2. The final two rounds will return to the South Course, with a three-hole aggregate playoff in case of a tie on Thursday.
Diehl and the rest of the field will tackle the North Course in Round 2 on Tuesday, with conditions expected to be slightly more scorable due to shorter yardage and softer greens. Round 2 tee times for the men begin at 12:30 PM off holes 1 and 10.
About the SCGA Amateur
This is the longest standing championship conducted by the SCGA. Started in 1900, this event crowns the best amateur player of the Association. Since the inaugural event, the SCGA Amateur has enjoyed an illustrious history of great champions, includi...
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