Aidan Lee assumes control as strong winds shuffle 59th Pacific Coast Amateur leaderboard
Livermore, Calif. – Aidan Lee (Pasadena, Calif.) shot a 5-under par second round of 65 and leads the 59th Pacific Coast Amateur at 8-under. The championship is being held this week, July 21-24, at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, Calif.
Unlike the first round, during which five players shot 63, the second round played more difficult. Strong winds neutralized much of the low scoring, and each of the five now-former leaders shot over-par rounds.
Championship Links:
Lee recently completed his senior season at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. Entering the second day four back of the lead following an opening 67, he delivered another perfectly solid round of golf. Today’s 65 was slightly gritty, with bogeys on holes 5 and 10, but he carded five additional birdies and eagled the par-5 18th to post the 8-under total that would hold at the top as the day continued. That closing eagle was his second such score of the week; the other came on the par-5 first hole yesterday.
Lee sits a single stroke ahead of Mitchell Hoey (Alamo, Calif.), who also enjoyed a relatively clean second round. He bogeyed the par-3 third hole but erased it with a sixth-hole birdie. Going out even for his round, Lee gained momentum on the back side with birdies on the 12th, 14th and 17th holes; 14 has played as the most difficult hole this week.
Like Lee, Hoey recently graduated from Saint Mary’s in 2026. Hoey recorded five top 25 finishes for the Gaels during his final season.
Defending champion Jaden Dumdumaya was among Tuesday’s 63-shooters to lose ground Wednesday — though not severely — by carding a 1-over 71. He had reached 9-under par for the tournament by the time he teed off the 16th hole, but a lost ball on that hole led to a triple bogey. At 6-under, Dumdumaya is one of seven players two strokes behind Lee.
In the Morse Cup Competition, the hosting Northern California Golf Association posted an 11-under total to win the competition, mounting somewhat of a comeback in the process. Team NCGA was six strokes behind that of the Colorado Golf Association after Round 1, but a net 4-over total from the CGA contingent allowed others to close.
The Morse Cup team competition takes place during the first two days of the championship. Each of the 16 member Pacific Rim golf associations selects three players to represent them in this team competition, and the two top scores from each team in the first and second rounds will count toward the Morse Cup. This year, Dumdumaya, Kailer Stone and Joshua Kim comprised the winning NCGA team, the 17th that association has fielded. It tied for the distinction with the Southern California Golf Association in 1994.
The Morse Cup team trophy was donated by Samuel F. B. Morse, founder and developer of Pebble Beach Company and Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Other Notables:
- Brandon Knight (Pleasanton, Calif., -6) and Mason An (Houston, Texas, -5) were among the biggest movers of round 2, gaining 38 and 55 leaderboard positions respectively. Knight’s 65 got him to the seven-way tie for third, while An is now tied for 10th after carding a 64, the lowest of the day.
- Jacob Goode (San Francisco, Calif.) carded a bogey-free 67 and is also one of the seven tied for third. Playing in the first group (7:30), he took advantage of less windy conditions.
- Like on Tuesday, the two long par-3’s, holes 5 and 14, played as the hardest two holes. Holes 1 and 18, par-5’s, played the easiest.
About Poppy Ridge
Located in Livermore, Calif., Poppy Ridge Golf Course is one of two golf courses owned and operated by the Northern California Golf Association (NCGA), the other being Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif. The course officially reopened on May 31, 2025, after a 13-month construction and grow-in process, where an 18-hole golf course has been created with completely new routing and state-of-the-art infrastructure. The new championship-caliber venue hosted a multitude of NCGA championships in 2025 and is set for nine more in 2026. A newly renovated practice facility and short game area are complemented by an executive nine-hole course, appropriately named “The Ridge 9.”
About the Pacific Coast Golf Association
The Pacific Coast Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf championships in North America. The first tournament was held on the links of San Francisco Golf Club at The Presidio in 1901. After being played until 1911, the Pacific Coast Amateur then ceased to exist, only to be reconstituted at Seattle Golf Club in 1967. Today, 15 member Pacific Rim golf associations comprise the Pacific Coast Golf Association. For more information visit, pacificcoastamateur.com.
About the Elite Amateur Golf Series
Launched in 2022 to challenge the best of the best in amateur golf, the Elite Amateur Golf Series brings together the top amateur championships in a collective series of competitions, the Elite Amateur Cup. In addition to hosting the best players, Elite Amateur Cup events are contested at the best sites and have the longest history of successful champions. The Elite Amateur Golf Series maintains a proven track record that prepares elite players for the toughest competitive tests, making the championships the majors of amateur golf. Visit eliteamateurgolfseries.org for more information.