It was a round Tyson Shelley will never forget.
He shot 8-under 62, tying a competitive course record at Capilano Golf and Country Club in Canada. Even better, he got into a playoff and came away victorious to win the 56th Pacific Coast Amateur on Friday.
In the playoff, Shelley and Jack Buchanan each made par on the first hole, and then on the par-5 second hole, Buchanan missed the green and scrambled for par while Shelley found the putting surface in two shots and got it in for birdie to win.
“Everything just clicked when I was out on the course,” Shelley told Amateur Golf. “Off the tee, I was really confident in hitting the fairways, and I was able to execute that. Once I got the ball in play, my putter was really dialed this week, and I was able to hit some good putts, and I was fortunate enough to get a couple of long (putts) to drop.”
The duo tied at 13 under after four rounds of stroke play.
“It means a lot to me and my confidence,” Shelley told Amateur Golf. “Especially this last round. It made me realize that a tournament is never over until it is over. I think this win has my confidence high, and I am able to compete at high levels in any tournament.”
Chuan-Tai Lin, Neal Shipley and Jeffrey Guan all finished T-3 at 11 under.
The Pacific Coast Amateur is the sixth event of seven in the 2023 Elite Amateur Series. The player who has the most points after seven events will earn a PGA Tour exemption to be announced, an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Amateur, one 2024 Korn Ferry Tour start and an exemption into final qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Open. Alabama’s Nick Dunlap led by seven points over Vanderbilt’s Jackson Van Paris through five events.
The final event of the Elite Amateur Series is the 121st Western Amateur, set for July 31-Aug. 5 at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Illinois.
