Filipino American golfer Jaden Dumdumaya became the first player in 38 years to win back-to-back Pacific Coast Amateur titles after capturing the 59th edition of the championship at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, California on Friday (Saturday in Manila).
The 20-year-old University of Southern California standout shot a final-round 1-under 69 to finish at 12-under 268, two strokes ahead of American Deitrek Gill.
Dumdumaya carded rounds of 63, 71, 65 and 69 to successfully defend the title he won last year, joining Billy Mayfair (1987–88) and Mike Davis (1969–70) as the only golfers to win the Pacific Coast Amateur in consecutive years.
Holding a three-shot lead entering the final round, Dumdumaya birdied his opening two holes before a bogey on the fifth and a double bogey on the par-4 13th allowed his challengers back into contention.
Ryan Abuan had already posted a tournament-best 63 to finish at 9-under, while Gill climbed to 10-under, cutting Dumdumaya’s advantage to two strokes.
The Filipino American responded with five consecutive pars, highlighted by a par save on the 16th after finding a greenside bunker. On the closing par-5 18th, he laid up instead of going for the green in two before reaching the putting surface with his wedge and two-putting for the victory.
“This tournament means a lot to me,” Dumdumaya said. “It came down to the last few holes, and I was fighting at the end, but I was glad to be able to close it out.”
The victory was especially meaningful for Dumdumaya, who grew up playing at Poppy Ridge. “Poppy Ridge is a special place to me,” he said. “I grew up playing golf out here. If I had to choose my place to win back-to-back, it’d be here.”
Family affair
His family was on hand to celebrate the victory. His parents and grandparents followed him throughout the championship, while his father, who also serves as his coach, joined him for the final round after missing part of the third day because of work. His brother caddied for most of the tournament before a close friend took over during the third round.
“It’s become a family affair,” Dumdumaya said.
The title capped a remarkable rise for Dumdumaya. After arriving at last year’s Pacific Coast Amateur ranked No. 1,000 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, he returned this year as the world’s No. 75-ranked amateur and the highest-ranked player in the field.
“In the last year my game has changed tremendously,” he said. “My confidence has definitely risen a lot and I’ve seen a lot of good results.”
Dumdumaya was named the 2023 Philippine National Men’s Golf Player and represented the country at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia as the youngest member of the men’s team.
The Pacific Coast Amateur is one of seven tournaments in the Elite Amateur Golf Series. With the victory, Dumdumaya moved into contention for the Elite Amateur Cup Player of the Year award, which goes to the top performer across the series.
He will have a chance to strengthen his bid in the coming days at the Western Amateur at Beverly Country Club, the final event of the Elite Amateur Golf Series before the US Amateur in August. CS
