Will Zalatoris of Plano, Texas, shot 3-under-par 67 to take a one-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis after two rounds of the 49th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.
Zalatoris, the reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion who is a sophomore at Wake Forest, was rolling along at 5-under for the day through 16 holes before carding a double-bogey 6 on the 17th hole, but held onto the lead with a closing par.
“Coming off surgery, I was really looking forward to this week,” said Zalatoris, who had an emergency appendectomy early this summer. “My game started to click right after the final round of the Southern Amateur and I played some really good rounds at home recently.
“My dad joked that I am back, but I really haven’t been anywhere. It is just getting back in the rhythm of things.”
DeChambeau, a senior at Southern Methodist who is the reigning NCAA individual champion, birdied two of the first three holes before stumbling with a double bogey and a bogey late on the front nine, then rallying with three birdies on the back to record a 68.
Colton Yates of Scottsdale, Ariz., the first-round leader, struggled to a 73 and was three shots behind in a tie for third with Aaron Wise of Lake Elsinore, who finished at 71, Scottie Scheffler of Dallas, who totaled 68, and Andrew McCain of Trinity, who had a second straight 70.
Shotaro Ban of San Jose and Cal, the California Amateur champion, posted a 71 and was four strokes back in a tie for seventh with Corey Pereira of Cameron Park, the Sahalee Players champion who carded a 69, Sulman Raza of Eugene, who wound up at 66, and Jared du Toit of Canada, who came in at 73.
