Jack Buchanan leads after two rounds at 56th Pacific Coast Amateur
West Vancouver, B.C. – After opening with an 5-under 65 in round one, Jack Buchanan of Australia followed it up with another 65 today, grabbing a two-shot lead after two rounds at the 56th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship, hosted this week from July 25-28 at Capilano Golf and Country Club.
Championship Links:
Buchanan entered the day tied for the lead with Jose Islas of Mexico. He started strongly, birdieing three of the first five holes to quickly build some separation from the rest of the field. He maintained the momentum throughout the round, carding three more birdies on the back-nine against just one bogey – his first and only bogey of the championship thus far.
Currently ranked No. 164 in the world (WAGR), Buchanan is one of seven Australians in the field this week. He has played in five Elite Amateur Series events this year, highlighted by a round of 16 finish at the North and South Amateur.
Playing in the final group tomorrow, Buchanan will be joined by 19-year-old Cooper Jones from Highland, Utah, and Jayden Ford from New Zealand. Both Jones and Ford sit at 8-under par, two shots off the lead and tied for second place.
In the Morse Cup team competition, the team from the Arizona Golf Association captured the title for the first time since 1988. The team comprised of Joe Neuheisel from Scottsdale, Ariz., Mahanth Chirravuri from Chandler, Ariz., and Chris Kamin from Phoenix, Ariz., finished at 12-under par after two rounds, three shots clear of second place.
The Morse Cup team competition took place concurrently during the first two days of the championship. The Pacific Coast Golf Association consists of 15 member Pacific Rim golf associations, and each association selected three players to represent them in the team competition. The two top scores from each team in rounds one and two will count for the Morse Cup portion of the event.
Notable:
- Jayden Ford of New Zealand and Omar Morales of Mexico tied for the low round of the championship after both firing a 6-under 64 in today’s second round.
- Round one co-leader, Jose Islas of Mexico, shot a 1-over 71 in today’s round. He sits T12 entering the third round.
- The four players participating this week, who were in the top-10 of the Elite Amateur Cup points race entering this championship, all sit at T15 or better: Sebastian Moss of Houston, Tex., Kazuma Kobori of New Zealand, Neal Shipley of Pittsburgh, Penn., and Davis Bryant of Aurora, Colo.
- A total of 32 players are under par after the first two rounds of the championship.
- The 521-yard par-5 fifth hole continues to play as the easiest hole in the championship, yielding a total of nine eagles and 87 birdies through two rounds.
- The 436-yard par-4 10th hole and the 427-yard par-4 15th hole both tied as the most difficult holes in the second round with a scoring average of 4.36.
Up next:
Round three gets underway tomorrow (Thursday) morning July 27th at Capilano Golf and Country Club Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. local time.
About Capilano Golf and Country Club
Capilano Golf and Country Club combines natural beauty with world-class design to offer an exclusive golfing experience. Carved out of the rainforest and designed by the renowned Stanley Thompson, generous treelined fairways, artistic bunkers and spectacular greensites make Capilano challenging and enjoyable. The course is consistently recognized as one of the top golf courses in Canada and the world. Capilano is consistently ranked as #1 in British Columbia and in the top ten in Canada. In 2018, Capilano was #51 in Golf Digest’s “World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses (outside of the United States)”. For more information visit capilanogolf.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.