UNM elated to host Pacific Coast Amateur golf event
Whenever Paul Kerr receives congratulatory messages about UNM Championship Golf Club, the golf course superintendent will usually respond that his guys make him look good.
Kerr is planning to share the credit with his staff next week because the course looks great and ready for the 53rd annual Pacific Coast Amateur Championship.
Kerr, along with his staff of 12, eight of whom are full time, have been working hard to prepare the course for the prestigious amateur tournament that is in New Mexico for the first time in its history.
Normally, they begin working on the course at 4:30 a.m., but in the weeks leading up to the Pacific Coast Amateur, they’ve been starting at 4.
“It’s part of the job,” Kerr said. “We have to start early. I’m really looking forward to (the Pacific Coast Amateur). It’s a little extra pressure for what we do, but it’s good for the community. I heard the rumors awhile back that we were trying to get it here, and I thought: That’s a long stretch to get it
out here. I’m very grateful.”
Kerr said the course is in great shape, and that recent rain has been beneficial. He’s trying to keep things business as usual with regard to other high-level events that are held at UNM Championship, including national qualifiers and college tournaments. But certain parts of the course are receiving special treatment because of next week’s event. The best example of that are the greens. They are making them firm and fast. The greens have been getting daily attention, and in recent days, hourly attention.
Kerr, who has been working at UNM Championship since 2007, is no stranger to preparation for highprofile events.
Before UNM, he worked at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, where he prepared the course for the Bridgestone Invitational, an event on the PGA Tour.
Adam Roybal, the general manager of the courses at UNM, became excited when the rumblings began about the Pacific Coast Amateur coming to New Mexico and UNM as the site. He saw it as a great opportunity for UNM and the state of New Mexico.
“The planning started many years ago,” Roybal said. “The Sun Country (Amateur Golf Association) approached us early on about a possible collaboration for this event. And, now to see it coming in to fruition is very exciting.”
Members of the Pacific Coast Golf Association are arriving in Albuquerque this weekend, Roybal said. They, along with Sun Country executive director Dana Lehner, will give the course one last look and also set pin placements for the four-day tournament that starts on Tuesday morning. There will be practice rounds Monday.
The first 36 holes of the tournament will include team play, as three-player teams from the 15 member associations will vie for the Morse Cup.
“We’re extremely proud to serve as the host,” Roybal said. “Along with the five NCAA championships (four for men’s) we’ve hosted, it ranks right up there. It only strengthens the pedigree of golf in New Mexico.”
Bill Lutz, one of SCAGA’s three volunteer Pacific Coast Amateur local directors, concurred with Roybal and also said next week’s event will raise the visibility of the golf community in Albuquerque.
The Pacific Coast Golf Association made a site visit in April, Lutz said, and confirmed the course met the standards for the tournament that will feature eight golfers in the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings, including defending champion Isaiah Salinda (Stanford), who is No. 13.
“It’s in my opinion a high-level summer amateur tournament,” Lutz said. “This is the first time the Pacific Coast Amateur has been in New Mexico. We’re very fortunate that UNM agreed to have us use the course for five days. They’ve been really supportive.”