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Showcasing elite collegiate players, accomplished mid-amateurs, top junior golfers and future professional stars, the San Juan Oaks Golf Club opened its doors to nearly 80 contestants for a U.S. Amateur qualifying event on June 17.
The club was chosen for the second consecutive year to host a local amateur qualifier. The top eight performing players will advance to a final qualifying round for a chance to compete in the U.S. Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Aug. 10-16.
San Juan Oaks General Manager Manny Freitas has been working at the course since its opening in 1996 and helped oversee renovations to the club. As one of the hearts and souls of the club, he is focused on bringing in exposure for the course and the community.
“Not every golf course has the opportunity to do these types of tournaments,” Freitas said. “Hosting these tournaments brings notoriety to San Juan Oaks and continues to showcase the type of facility we are, where you’re able to bring bigger types of events to San Juan Oaks.”
He said that not only do events like these bring golfers in from outside the state and across California, there is also an economic impact on the county.
“Most of these players are from out of town so, more than likely, they’re spending the night here and dining here somewhere,” Freitas said.
The exposure San Juan Oaks receives from tournaments like these helps promote the community they are trying to build.
“It’s not just about a one-off tournament; we’re here and we’re a big part of this community,” Freitas said.
Patrick Abadilla, the Northern California Golf Association’s assistant manager of sanctioned events, provides logistics for the event. In addition to being a resident of San Benito County, he said he makes sure the club is able to meet the specific yardage and is able to shut down for the day so an event like this could take place.
“San Juan Oaks is a hidden gem,” Abadilla said. “Hosting this event here kind of puts it on the map, so hopefully this golf course gains more attraction.”
The eight qualifiers who advanced to the final qualifying round are Ethan Lien from Cupertino, Alexander Thu from Palo Alto, Cru Sullivan from Ripon, Drake Harvey from Las Vegas, Mitchell Hoeym from Alamo, Matthew Miyamoto from Sacramento, Jeremy Gearhart from Atascadero and Matt Cohn from San Francisco.
Freitas said he hopes to host a U.S. Open qualifier at San Juan Oaks next year as the 2027 U.S. Open will return to Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach.
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