Championship Info/Pairings/Results
July 17, 2022
When you've done something to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Miller, you know you've done something special.
Nathan Wang, freshman-to-be at Cal-Berkeley, did just that by winning the annual NCGA Amateur Stroke Play Championship on Sunday at Poppy Hills by a stroke over runner-up Garett Wagner. Wang, a former standout at Archbishop Mitty High, is still only 17 years old. Miller was 17 when he won the title in 1964. The two are believed to be the youngest champions in the 42-year history of the event.
"It feels pretty good," said Wang, who had his dad, Wilson, on the bag as caddie each day. "The course setup was insanely hard."
Wang would be the only player to shoot par or better each of the three rounds, going 71-70-71 for a total of 1-under 212. A shot off the lead for much of the final round, his big breakthroughs came on the par-4 16th and par-3 17th.
Tied for the lead with Wagner, Wang on 16 hit his second shot--a gap wedge from 135 yards out--to within 4 feet of the flagstick for a birdie. A hole later, on the 17, he drained a 35-foot birdie putt to take a one-shot lead. He'd seal the victory with a par on the closing par-5 18th.
Just last week, Wang qualified for the U.S. Amateur after carding a medalist-earning score of 10-under 134 at a 36-hole qualifer at Almaden CC.
"I've been playing well. I came here wanting to keep that mojo," Wang said. "It all comes down to how you handle shot-by-shot."
Wagner made a charge with a low round of the day 70 that featured three birdies and two bogeys. A final birdie on 18 made him the clubhouse leader at a total of even-par 213, But Wang came through with his magic putt on the 17th.
"I knew it was going to play hard. I just came out trying to make pars," Wagner said. "He just beat me."
Third place went to Domingo Jojola at 216 after a final round 71.
Wang, who didn't peek at the leaderboard until he was walking up the 18th, also got to share the win with his mom, Sherry, who spectated.
"It was awesome to have them here," Wang said. "It's been a while since I've had my dad on the bag as caddie. It was nice to have a father-son duo again."
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July 16, 2022
Sacramento State senior Casey Leebrick got it going on another tough day, and will be the one to chase entering Sunday's final round of this weekend's annual NCGA Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
Leebrick, who hails from San Luis Obispo, posted a solid 4-under 67 in the cold and fog at Poppy Hills to get to a two-day total of 2-under 140. On a day where only five players broke par, Leebrick managed to card seven birdies to go against three bogeys.
Alone in second place at 141 is Cal-Berkeley freshman-to-be Nathan Wang. Wang, who was the first freshman to ever win the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) MVP award (2019) while at Archbishop Mitty, had a second round 70 with three birdies and two bogeys. On his back-nine, Wang was steady, carding eight pars and just one bogey.
First round leader Luke Dugger, who'd opened with a 69, slipped to a 74 to fall back into a pack of four players at 143. The 143 quartet also features 2018 California Amateur champion Bobby Bucey (72), Garett Wagner (72) and Cal alum Ian Dahl (69). Dahl won the NCGA Mid-Amateur in June at Poppy Hills.
Defending champion Daniel Connolly of San Francisco is alone in seventh place at 144, just four off the lead, after a second round 72.
Leebrick and Dahl were two of the biggest movers on the day, charging 14 and 16 spots up the leaderboard, respectively. The biggest move came from Ryan Hartanto, who leaped 24 spaces up the leaderboard, going from an opening 76 to 69.
The cut to make it to the final round came at 9-over 151.
The course for the second round 6,799 yards, with a scoring average of 76.62.
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July 15, 2022
Getting into red figures wasn't easy during Friday's first round of this week's annual NCGA Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
Overall, only two players managed the feat. As for how tough a day it was, the average score for the par-71 Poppy Hills course was 77.30.
Taking the early lead was Holy Names University freshman Luke Dugger. Dugger, who hails from Davis, carded a 2-under 69 that featured two eagles, two birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey (par-4 13th). It was on Poppy's four par- 5's that Dugger was able to feast. He'd go 6-under on the par-5s thanks to eagles on the 4th and 9th holes and birdies on Nos. 10 and 18.
Also managing to break par was Mason Benbrook. The Carmichael resident shot 70, getting through a rollercoaster round that included four bogeys, a double-bogey, five birdies and an eagle.
Eight players are just two shots off the lead after matching opening rounds of 71. The group includes 2014 Stroke Play champ Bobby Bucey, former Mid-Am winner Zachary Solomon and Garett Wagner. Solomon was helped along by an ace on the 15th (see below).
Defending champion Daniel Connolly, a two-time winner of the event, is T-11 at 72.
Poppy Hills was playing to a length of 6,861 yards. The most difficult hole was the par-4 1st, which played to a stroke average of 4.88.
Following Saturday's second round, a cut will be made with the low 30 and ties moving on to Sunday's finale.
Zachary Solomon, winner of the 2016 NCGA Mid-Amateur, had the shot of the day, acing the par-3 15th using a 4-iron.
First played in 1944, the NCGA Stroke Play Championship has a special history, as the tournament has been won by the likes of Ken Venturi and Johnny Miller. But the event was canceled in 1966 when the NCGA decided to add the now-popular Four-Ball Championship.
The original championship was played over 72 holes, while the renewed format which began in 2004, is a 54-hole event staged at Poppy Hills every year. During the Poppy Hills renovation in 2013, the championship was held at Bayonet/Black Horse GC in neighboring Seaside.
Daniel Connolly set the record for 54-hole total score (204) in winning in 2021. Talbert Smith has won the championship more than any other player, four times, in 1946, ’48, ’56 and ’57. Other multiple winners include Ken Venturi (’51 and ’52), Verne Callison (’58 and ’59), Scott Hardy (’04, ’11), Ben Geyer (’12 and ’13), Robby Salomon (’15 and ’16), Daniel Connolly ('17 and 2021) and Nick Moore ('18 and 2020).
Kevin Lucas and Jonathan De Los Reyes share the record for low round since the tournament was re-established in 2004 with 65’s. De Los Reyes’ 65, shot in 2015, set a course record at the time at Poppy Hills.