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Surratt and Leow vault to the top after three rounds at 55th Pacific Coast Amateur

Championship Links:

Results | Tee Times | Photos

Caleb Surratt (left) and James Leow

NEWS FROM ROUND THREE

Portland, Ore. – Caleb Surratt of Knoxville, Ten. and James Leow of Singapore will take a share of the lead heading into tomorrow’s final round of the 55th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship, hosted this week at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore.

Surratt, who entered the day three shots back of round-three leader William Paysse of Temple, Tex., shot the low round of the championship with a 7-under 64 in today’s round.

“It was a good day out there,” said Surratt, “I had some fun, put my head down and just focused on what I could control.”

“I had to overcome some adversity out there, which helped me stay focused. I missed a one foot putt and I had a three putt, and they honestly helped me not lose track of what I was trying to do.”

Surratt, a junior, is the No. 29-ranked amateur in the world (WAGR). This fall he’ll begin his freshman season on the University of Tennessee men’s golf team. Surratt is currently leading the Elite Amateur Cup race after five weeks, something he is well aware of and something that played a factor into his decision to play in this championship.

James Leow, who entered the day two shots back, fired a 65 in today’s third round to earn a share of the lead and secure a spot in the final pairing tomorrow.

“I hit a lot of good approach shots and I made a lot of putts today, which is crucial out here,” said Leow.

Leow has been dealing with a strained neck this week, but it hasn’t seemed to slow him down.

“The course isn’t playing very long, and I’m not hitting it very long right now because I strained my neck, so I’m just hitting three-quarter swings and trying to find fairways to give myself anything inside 150 yards.”

Leow, who just finished his senior season on the Arizona State University men’s golf team, is the No. 115-ranked player in the world (WAGR). He played on the International team in the 2022 Palmer Cup and later this summer he’ll be competing in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

Sam Choi of Albuquerque, N.M. sits just one shot back of Surratt and Leow at 11-under par. Choi is no stranger to success in this event, last year he finished T2 and in 2019 he finished T4.

“Playing the Pac Coast is like one of my favorite events to play in,” said Choi, “I always play good and have good energy going into this tournament, so we’ll see how tomorrow goes.”

NOTABLE

  • 30 players in the 87-player field sit at even-par or better after three rounds.
  • The average score across all players today was 71.63, this is the lowest of the three rounds so far.
  • The 460-yard par-4 7th hole played as the toughest hole in round three. The hole saw just eight birdies with a scoring average of 4.26.

UP NEXT

Final round play gets underway tomorrow (Friday) morning July 21st at Columbia Edgewater Country Club. Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. local time, going of the Nos. 1 and 10 tees.

About Columbia Edgewater Country Club 

Opened in July 1925 along the banks of the Columbia River that separates the states of Oregon and Washington, Columbia Edgewater Country Club was designed by Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame architect Arthur Vernon Macan, who designed many of the Northwest’s premier courses. During its 97-year history, Columbia Edgewater has been the site of numerous championships and events, including the PGA TOUR’s Portland Open, the LPGA Tour’s Safeway Classic and Portland Classic, U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying and the Oregon Amateur. More information about the club can be found at www.cecc.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 (EAGS) aligns the top amateur championships in a collective competition, the Elite Amateur Cup. In addition to hosting the best players, Elite Amateur Cup events are contested at renowned venues and have the longest history of identifying the next great champions of the game. EAGS events hold a proven track record of conducting the most challenging competitive tests, making the championships among the majors of amateur golf. The seven founding championships that comprise the series have a distinguished history hosting the top talent and competitive play in amateur golf. These championships are the Sunnehanna Amateur, Northeast Amateur, North & South Amateur, Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Southern Amateur, Pacific Coast Amateur and the Western Amateur. For more information visit eliteamateurgolfseries.org.