As many of golf’s top amateur players prepare to converge on Northern California for next month’s Pacific Coast Amateur Championship, one fundamental question lingers amid the golden, rolling hills of Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore.
Will the wind howl?
That’s one thing golf course architect Jay Blasi couldn’t control during his widely acclaimed renovation completed last year. But it’s an inescapable element of Poppy Ridge, and a prime reason Blasi’s design features wide fairways and relatively benign greens.
So the wind’s role merits scrutiny as the prestigious Pacific Coast Amateur – the premier amateur event on the West Coast – comes to Poppy Ridge for the first time July 21-24.
“Wind is certainly part of the course’s defense, and something we were very aware of when we were renovating it,” Blasi said. “That time of year, the wind will often blow and it can be hot. If it’s windy, I think the scores will be relatively high, and if there’s not much wind then portions of the field will go low.”
Blasi successfully navigated a challenging assignment with his work at Poppy Ridge. He needed to create a fun, playable course for NCGA members, while also making the course conducive to events such as the Pacific Coast Amateur.
That’s why Blasi built uncommon flexibility into the teeing grounds – allowing tournament officials the option of stretching the course beyond 7,300 yards. The renovation also included short grass, slopes and distinctive challenges around the greens, ideally impacting approach and recovery shots.
Still, much depends on whether Mother Nature decides to let the wind blow. NCGA officials learned about this first-hand during one of their own events at Poppy Ridge after the course re-opened in May 2025.
“We had one windy day, and the scores were much higher than they were on days without wind,” said Brett Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer of Poppy Holding, Inc. “So, personally, we’re hoping for a couple of days of wind during the championship, to see how that changes the challenge.”
No matter what happens with the weather, the Pacific Coast Amateur counts as a landmark event for Poppy Ridge. The course has enjoyed more than a 20% increase in rounds played in the 12-plus months since the re-opening, according to Armstrong, with largely positive feedback from everyday players.
Now comes a fresh test, as elite amateurs arrive for a tournament with a storied history dating to 1901 (and annually since 1967). The Olympic Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Poppy Hills, Chambers Bay, Bandon Dunes and Eugene Country Club, last year’s venue, are among the many notable courses to have hosted the Pacific Coast Amateur.
“I’m uber excited about it,” Blasi said.
The tournament historically attracts a strong field, heavy on players with West Coast ties. Last year’s champion, Jaden Dumdumaya, grew up in Benicia, was a standout at De La Salle High in Concord and now plays at USC.
He also entered the 2025 Pacific Coast Amateur at No. 1,000 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, a reminder of the game’s deep well of young talent.
This year’s field will not be finalized until after registration closes July 10, but the early list of commitments includes several notable players. Among them:
**Edan Cui was a stalwart in Stanford’s lineup as a freshman. Cui, from Atherton, finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference stroke-play championship this spring and also took second in the Silicon Valley Amateur.
**Drake Harvey, who is from Las Vegas and will play at BYU starting this fall, is ranked No. 9 in the AJGA junior rankings. He won this year’s Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament and last year’s AJGA Thunderbird Heather Farr Classic – and four consecutive Nevada 4A individual championships.
**Collin Hodgkinson, who recently completed his senior season at Oregon State, brings a track record of success in the Pacific Northwest – with victories in last year’s Washington Men’s Amateur and Oregon Stroke Play.
**Avinash Iyer won last year’s NCGA Amateur Stroke Play Championship. Iyer grew up in San Ramon and played four seasons at San Jose State, where he posted a school-record scoring average of 69.81 and earned All-Mountain West honors.
Not incidental in all this: These players will chase the Pacific Coast title at a publicly accessible golf course. That doesn’t always happen at the game’s top levels, as the chasm between private clubs and public layouts widens in many ways.
Blasi finds deep significance in Poppy Ridge, a public facility owned and operated by the NCGA, hosting this year’s championship.
“I think that’s big,” he said. “Over the last five to 10 years, we’ve really had bifurcation in regard to facilities. Private clubs have never been healthier – they’re flush with cash and have wait lists – and many municipal courses are at a true disadvantage when it comes time to re-invest.
“That was the unique thing about this (Poppy Ridge) project. The NCGA was in position to re-invest in the course and in public golf. So to give it a great showcase is huge. Hopefully, this can be a shining light on affordable public golf.”
Armstrong echoed the sentiment. He hears the chatter when PGA Tour events are played on public courses – it doesn’t happen often, but there are memorable examples right here in Northern California.
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa all won marquee tour events at Harding Park in San Francisco in the past 20-plus years, since the course’s renovation in 2002 and ’03.
“It’s pretty cool to say you played the same course as Rory, or the same course as the No. 1 amateur in the world,” Armstrong said. “Not necessarily to compare your games, but just to have a similar experience. … Obviously, public golf is a big deal. Access to golf is part of our vision and mission, so any way we can promote that is top of mind.”
