UNIVERSITY PLACE, Washington (July 20, 2017) -- A full scale Texas invasion took over the top rungs of the Pacific Coast Amateur Thursday Texas Tech Junior
Hayden Springer took a one stroke lead at 6-under going into the final day of the 51st playing of the Championship.
Springer, from Trophy Club, Texas just outside of Dallas, scorched the 2015 U.S. Open site
Chambers Bay for a six-under 65 to go with a 66 on Wednesday (a great comeback after an opening 74). He takes a 205 total, eight-under-par, going to the final round of the prestigious West Coast amateur tournament.
He will have to fight off fellow North Texan
Will Zalatoris, the defending champion from Plano, Texas, and University of Texas'
Doug Ghim, both tied for second at 7-under 206. Zalatoris shot a third round 67. Ghim put up a 69.
“I played really well today,” Springer said. “I made some putts and finished with two good birdies. I’m glad we can represent Texas well.”
Zalatoris, who failed to defend his title last week in the Trans-Mississippi Championship, shot a 67 highlighted by a birdie on the par 5 18th hole and said he was ready for back-to-back Pacific Amateur titles.
“In the past, my putting has been up and down, but my putting has been really solid this year and my irons have let me down. Today I was able to put it all together,” Zalatoris said. “With the Walker Cup coming up, I have to do my part to get in the mix.”
Springer, who qualified to play in the PGA Tour’s Fedex St. Jude Classic in Memphis in 2016, has come close before in some major amateur tournaments, but has yet to break through for a showcase victory.
He started his round with a bogey on the first hole for the second straight day, but rolled off five straight birdies on holes 9-13 and added two more birdies on holes 17-18 to grab the slim lead.
Zalatoris had five birdies to offset two bogeys to put himself in good shape for the final round.
Second round leader and last week's Trans-Miss winner at Prairie Dunes Cameron Champ posted 73 in the third round to join a group of three players that includes Denzel Ieremia of New Zealand and UNLV golfer John Oda of Hawaii.
ACE MAKER
Edwin Yi, the University of Oregon golfer, recorded an ace on the 165-yard par 3 15th hole at Chambers Bay today. Here's what he had to say about it.
