Berganio Holds 4-Stroke Lead in Pacific Coast Event

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. â€”  David Berganio of Sylmar, the USGA Amateur Public Links golf champion, fired a seven-under-par 64 on Tuesday at Forest Highlands Golf Club to take a four-stroke lead over Michael Brannan after the first round of the 25th Pacific Coast Amateur championship.

Berganio, who will be a junior this fall at Arizona, had nine birdies and two bogies over the 7,053-yard, par-71 course. His 64 tied the competitive course record held jointly by 1989 British Open champion Mark Calcavecchia and Arizona amateur Mark Sollenberger, who has done it twice.

Brannan, of Shelton, Conn., the 1973 Pacific Coast Amateur champion, was one over par through 12 holes Tuesday, but he eagled the 536-yard, par-five 13th hole and birdied the next three holes before bogeying the par-four 17th.

Six players shot two-under-par 69 and are tied for third place, five shots behind the leader.

In all, 10 of the 90 golfers broke par on the course, which was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morish.

Berganio’s record-tying round propelled the Southern California Public Links Golf Assn. into a five-shot lead in the annual Morse Cup Competition.

With the best two of three scores counting, SoCal Publinks shot 132, and Arizona GA and Sun Country GA each shot 142.

Morse Cup competition concludes tomorrow in conjunction with the second round of individual competition. The field will be cut to the low 48 players and ties plus any player within 10 shots of the lead after the second round.

Third-round play is Thursday and the final round is Friday.