Three Sun Devils including Jared du Toit, Tim Mickelson’s newest addition to the 2015-16 squad, are among 83 swingers competing in this week’s 49th annual Pacific Coast Amateur July 28-31 in Eugene, Oregon, at Eugene Country Club. Five Sun Devils have won the title on six occasions, including most recently Chan Kim in 2009 and two-time winner Billy Mayfair in 1987 and 1988. Mayfair is one of just two golfers to defend his PCA title, as only Mike Davis in 1969-70 did the same.
SUN DEVILS Competing IN THE 2015 PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR
--Southpaw Nicolo Galletti (Pleasanton, Calif.) appeared in 12 tournaments this past season for the Sun Devils posting a scoring average of 72.68. Galletti recorded three top-10 finishes and shot a 70 or below in 16 rounds. He shot a career-low 66 in the first round of the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational last fall.
--Junior Ki Taek Lee will make his second consecutive appearance in the Pacific Coast Amateur after finishing tied for 14th after carding a four-round total of three-under-par at the event last year hosted at Pine Canyon Club in Flagstaff, Arizona. As a sophomore this past season, Lee recorded five top-20 finishes, while averaging 72.44 through 11 tournaments. He shot a career-low 66 in the second round of the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational.
--Jared du Toit a recent addition to the 2015-16 roster is the third Sun Devil slated to compete. Du Toit a transfer from the University of Idaho lead the Vandals in scoring this past season (69.61), while posting three first-place finishes including a win at the Big Sky Conference Championship.
Host Eugene Country Club will see the top-ranked world amateurs compete in a 72-hole, four-day stroke play competition, for the chance to raise the Dr. Ed Updegraff trophy as champion of one of the Pacific Coast's most historic golfing events.
Sun Devils have done well in the past at this event. Chandler product Chan Kim won the 43rd title as a 19-year-old Sun Devil by one shot at The Gallery Golf Club in Tucson in 2009. Kim was the 2008 Arizona Amateur and 2007 Hawaii Amateur champion.
Scott Johnson, a member of ASU's 1996 NCAA Championship squad and the 1997 Pac-10 champion, took home the honor in 1996. Todd Demsey won the 1993 Pacific Coast Amateur in Vancouver, B.C., and was the NCAA champion that same season. He also won the 1995 ASU Thunderbird Intercollegiate 1994 U.S. Intercollegiate and Nike Southwestern Intercollegiate and the 1993 Taylor Made/Big Island Invitational.
Billy Mayfair was a first-time All-American in 1987-88, a second-team pick in 1986 and an honorable mention pick in 1985. He won the Pacific Coast both in 1987-88. Tony Grimes won the PCA in 1982 at Eugene Country Club in the middle of becoming a third-team All-American in 1982 and a honorable mention pick in 1981.
PAST SUN DEVILS WHO WON THE PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR
2009: Chan Kim, Chandler, Ariz.--The Gallery Golf Club (Tucson, Arizona)
1996: Scott Johnson, Kennewick, Wash.--Poppy Hills Golf Club (Pebble Beach, California)
1993: Todd Demsey, San Diego, Calif.--Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club (Vancouver, B.C.)
1988: Billy Mayfair, Phoenix, Ariz.--Bear Creek Golf Club (Denver, Colorado)
1987: Billy Mayfair, Phoenix, Ariz.--Seattle Golf Club (Seattle, Washington)
1982: Tony Grimes, Phoenix, Ariz.--Eugene Country Club (Eugene, Oregon)
All players will be vying for the individual Ed Updegraff Trophy, named after the longtime volunteer and standout amateur golfer who played on three Walker Cup teams (1963, 1965 & 1969), won the 1967 Pacific Coast Amateur title and was the 1999 Bob Jones Award recipient from the USGA. Play for the 72-hole stroke play Championship will begin on Tuesday, July 28 at 7 a.m. with practice rounds being held the two days prior. Play will conclude with the eventual champion being crowned on Friday, July 31, 2015.
Held on an annual basis since 1967, with roots dating back to 1901, the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship boasts a rich history of showcasing some of the most talented golfers in the United States and Canada. In recent years, players from across the world have sought to compete in the event, including this year when players will be representing New Zealand, Chile, France and Australia.
ABOUT THE PACIFIC COAST AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Although its present history only dates from 1967, the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship's roots make it one of the oldest amateur golf championships in American history. The first tournament was held on the links of San Francisco Golf Club at The Presidio, April 24-27, 1901. Championships were held annually through 1911, all being conducted in California except for the 1909 championship, which was held at Seattle Golf Club in Washington. The Pacific Coast Amateur then ceased to exist, only to be reconstituted at Seattle Golf Club on August 10-12, 1967 with the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Southern California, Oregon and Arizona golf associations participating. Today, 15 member Pacific Rim golf associations comprise the Pacific Coast Golf Association. For more information visit www.pacificcoastamateur.com or follow on social media @pacificcoastam using #PACCoast
ABOUT EUGENE COUNTRY CLUB
Organized in 1899, Eugene Country has played host to the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship a multitude of times since 1974, most recently in 2010. A Robert Trent Jones design, the course has consistently been named to Golf Digest’s “Top 100 Courses in the United States”. Eugene Country Club was recently named as the host site for the 2016 Men’s Division I Championship.