Pairings | Results
July 13, 2025
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'll never 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, hit 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 had come 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 one way or 10 things that could've gone another way. Things fell the way they did. I wish things had gone a little different, 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.
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July 12, 2025
Things can change in an instant, and they did on a foggy Saturday at Poppy Hills Golf Course.
By the time it all ended, Avanish Iyer, a senior at San Jose State, became the player to chase come Sunday's final round.
Iyer, who had a 72.27 stroke average last season for the Spartans, carded a 4-under 67 to get to a two-day total of 7-under 135. Trailing first round leader Matt Cohn by four shots entering the day, Iyer made a move with four birdies and an eagle on the par-5 18th to go against just two bogeys.
Cohn, who opened with a championship record 64, came hurtling back to Earth with a 2-over 73 that leaves him two shots behind the leader. Looking for his seventh NCGA crown, Cohn was stung by a pair of back-to-back double-bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes. On the par-5 10th, he lost his ball. A day after playing Poppy's par-5s to the tune of 6-under par, Cohn played the same holes at 1-over.
The big shake up at the top of the leaderboard opened the door for others as well. Jack Hayden, the brother of defending champion Joey Hayden and a sophomore at Santa Clara University, charged 13 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for second place after a day-low 6-under 65.
Hayden's run featured seven birdies, with five of them coming en route to a sizzling back-nine 30.
Parker Mapes, formerly at Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, is alone in fourth place at 138 after a 70.
Others right in the thick of things include Luke Brandler and Kush Arora, who are at 139 afer rounds of 67 and 68, respectively. Brandler plays at nearby Stevenson School.
Ian Dahl, who won the title in 2019, crept up into a tie for seventh with four others at 140 after a 68.
The cut (low 30 and ties) came at 3-over 145. Joey Hayden would miss the cut, finishing at 4-over.
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July 11, 2025
San Francisco resident Matt Cohn already has six NCGA titles.
The 44-year-old is now firmly in the hunt for a seventh.
On Friday, Cohn leaped into the lead at this weekend's annual Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Poppy Hills after posting a championship record score of 7-under 64 that included five birdies and a pair of eagles to go against two bogeys. The eagles came on par-5 holes Nos. 18 and No.4, the latter of which was playing at 572 yards.
The 64 was one shot better than the previous event mark of 65, which Kevin Lucas and Jonathan De Los Reyes held.
While a championship record, the 64 was so good that it was just one shot shy of the NCGA record for lowest round at Poppy Hills: 63, co-held by Jack Barber (2024 Mid-Amateur) and Wes Payne (2025 Mid-Am).
The great day also for now gave Cohn a cushy four-shot lead over the field. The next closest players entering Saturday's second round will be Parker Mapes and Avinash Iyer, who are both tied for second at 68.
Defending champion Joey Hayden opened with a 5-over 76. In winning the title last year, Hayden finished with a championship record score of 10-under 203.
Following Saturday's second round a cut will be made with the low 30 players (and ties) advancing to Sunday's final round.
Cohn's previous NCGA victories have come at the Mid-Am Four-Ball and Four-Ball with partner Nick Randazzo, Public Links Championship (three times), and Mid-Amateur. Only six players in NCGA history have won seven or more titles--Randy Haag and Casey Boyns (16), Randazzo (12), Bobby Bucey, Talbert Smith and Scott Hardy (7).
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