In what became a thriller, San Jose State senior Avinash Iyer outlasted NCGA veteran Matt Cohn to claim the annual Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Poppy Hills.
The key to the win was a shot on the 18th hole by Iyer that he won’t soon forget.
Tied at a total of 8-under par, on the 18th hole both Cohn and Iyer hit their drives into the fairway bunker on the left near the cart path. Cohn hit first, his shot clipping the top edge of the bunker and landing short in the fairway. Iyer, meanwhile, striped a 5-iron from 197 yards out onto the green, leaving himself a 30-foot putt for eagle.
Cohn’s third shot came up short, and his pitch shot ran past the cup, leading to a bogey. Iyer two-putted for a birdie for a final round 69 and a two-shot win.
For Iyer, the victory was well due. His last win came in 2023 at Silverado Resort.
“The last year has been a bit of a struggle, so it feels good to get this one,” said Iyer, who finished with a three-day total of 9-under 204. “I’d been pulling my driver all day. I knew I needed a birdie to close it out. So I took my chance with a 5-iron and had perfect contact...Then just had a simple two-putt.”
Over the 54 holes, and there at the end to share a hug with Iyer after the win was his caddie and father, Lalith.
“It’s so awesome to have him here,” said Iyer, who took the lead in the second round thanks to a 67. “To win with him here supporting me, it’s so nice.”
For Cohn, It was a missed opportunity to bag what would have been his seventh NCGA title. Coming off a championship record first round 64, the San Francisco resident carded a second round 73 and final round 69. He’d battle back from a two-shot deficit to tie Iyer--thanks in part to an eagle on the par-5 10th and birdie on No.11--but in the end came up disappointingly short.
“His shot on 18 didn’t suprise me at all,” Cohn said. “I thought I’d do it first. A lot happened in the last 54 holes. There’s 10 things that could’ve gone one way or 10 things that could’ve gone another way. Things fell the way they did. I wish things had gone a little differently, but it was still three good days of golf.”
Third place would end up being a tie between Monterey’s George McNeely and NCGA champion Mike Perchak at 208 following identical final rounds of 68. Perchak would earn third place in a card-off.