Chaz Aurilia wins 57th Pacific Coast Amateur in a playoff
University Place, Wash. – Chaz Aurilia from Scottsdale, Ariz., shot rounds of 71-70-65-66 and won a sudden-death, one-hole playoff to claim victory at the 57th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship, hosted this week, July 23-26 at Chambers Bay.
Championship Links:
Aurilia entered today’s final round four shots back of round three leader Simon Hovdal from Sweden, teeing off in the second-to-last group of the day. Aurilia had some work to do to get back in the mix, and he did just that with a bogey-free final round of 66, jumping up the leaderboard to finish the championship at 12-under par, tying with Sam Sommerhauser of Sacramento, Calif., who fired a final round 65 to grab a share of the lead.
The two players, Aurilia and Sommerhauser, who were college roommates at the University of Arizona, found themselves in a sudden-death playoff at the end of the round. On the first playoff hole, the par-4 1st, both players found the fairway off the tee. Sommerhauser’s approach landed on the green but took a hard bounce, ending up in a collection area 35 yards from the pin. Aurilia’s second shot also hit the green and rolled off into a collection area on the left side, leaving him a relatively easy chip shot, which he hit to 5 feet. Sommerhauser couldn’t get up and down, and Aurilia knocked in his par to take home the title.
“It feels good (to take home the title),” said Aurilia. “I’ve been playing really well lately. The first two days were a little slower, but the second day I played really well and had a tough finish, but over the past few days I played some really solid golf.”
Aurilia credited his wedges and his putting as keys to success this week.
“I hit my wedges really well, and my putting inside of 10 feet was really solid for the most part,” said Aurilia. “Today I made a lot of really nice par saves, and inside of 150 was kind of my bread and butter this week.”
Click here to watch the winning interview with Chaz Aurilia.
Aurilia, currently ranked No. 274 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), played three years on the University of Arizona men’s golf team before transferring to Southern Methodist University for his final year of eligibility this past season. Earlier this summer, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Aurilia will add his name to the Ed Updegraff perpetual trophy, joining the likes of current PGA TOUR players Will Zalatoris, Aaron Wise, Andrew Putnam, Doug Ghim, and many others who went on to have successful professional golf careers.
Notable:
- Three players, Sam Sommerhauser, Mahanth Chirravuri from Chandler, Ariz., and William Walsh from San Mateo, Calif., all tied for the low round of the day with a 6-under 65 in today’s final round.
- Wheaton Ennis from Eagle, Idaho, who finished in solo third, was the only player in the championship to record all four rounds under par, shooting 69-70-65-70.
- The 436-yard par-4 10th hole played as the toughest hole in the final round, with a scoring average of 4.43. The hole yielded just eight birdies against 30 bogeys or worse.
- Hole number twelve, a drivable 304-yard par-4, played as the easiest hole of the final round, with three eagles, 36 birdies, and a scoring average of 3.57.
About Chambers Bay
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 2007, Chambers Bay is a links-style layout along the shores of Puget Sound. The venue made history by hosting the first U.S. Open ever held in the Pacific Northwest in 2015. It has also been the site of multiple other USGA championships, including the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Chambers Bay is a municipal facility owned by Pierce County and is open to the public. The facility has been designated by Audubon International as a Silver Signature Sanctuary, the first golf course in the Pacific Northwest to receive this certification. More information can be found at chambersbaygolf.com.
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.
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 competition, 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. For more information visit eliteamateurgolfseries.org.