Player Information/Pairings/Results
July 27, 2024
Mere minutes after it was official, UCLA senior Natalie Vo began exchanging texts with her Bruins teammates.
There was good reason to celebrate.
Vo, a native of San Jose, built a 4-up lead and later held on thanks in part to the shot of her life on the par-4 17th hole to capture the 58th California Women's Amateur Championship at The Peninsula Golf and Country Club via a 2 and 1 victory over runner-up Amelia Garibaldi. As part of the victory, Vo also received an automatic exemption into the upcoming U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, set for Aug. 5-11 at Southern Hills in Oklahoma.
Clinging to a 1-up lead through 16 holes, the No.15 seeded Vo on 17 hit her approach shot to a tough-tucked flagstick to 2 feet. Garibaldi's second shot, meanwhile, landed in a greenside bunker, leading to an eventual bogey.
"It's great, honestly it feels good with all the work I've put in," said Vo, who joins the likes of Mina Harigae, and NCGA Hall of Famers Juli Inkster and Patty Sheehan as champions of the event. "This is the biggest win of my career."
As she did in the semifinals, Vo, who transferred to UCLA after playing at University of Colorado, came out scorching. She'd birdie each of the first three holes--making a 10-foot birdie putt on No.1, a 28-foot birdie putt on No.2 and another one-putt birdie on No.5--to instantly jump to a commanding 3-up lead.
Vo went on to post an eye-opening 31 on the front-nine, and later added another birdie on the 10th to make it a 4-up lead.
"I was just putting really well and was able to take advantage of that," said Vo of her early play.
Following her win on the 10th hole, however, all the momentum shifted to Garibaldi. On the uphill par-5 11th, Vo's third shot landed on the edge of the green but rolled back off, leading to a bogey and par win for the No.21-seeded Garibaldi. A hole later on the par-3 12th, Vo's par putt lipped out, handing Garibaldi, a sophomore at Fresno State, another win and cutting the lead to 2-up.
Just another hole later on No.13, Vo pulled her drive left, her ball landing behind a tree. She'd be forced to try and hit out left-handed, and consequently whiffed. A double-bogey later, and the lead was just 1-up.
Over the next three holes, the two would tie with pars. Garibaldi had a golden chance to tie things up on the par-3 15th when Vo hit her tee shot on the hill to the right of the green. But Garibaldi, whose tee shot landed in the front greenside, took two shots to get out of the bunker. Both would end up carding double-bogeys.
After another tie on the 16th hole, the stage was set for Vo's heroics on the 17th hole to close things out.
"I had fun. My boyfriend (Jake Bettencourt, who also plays at Fresno State) came out so it was nice," said Garibaldi, whose cheerful demeanor never changed despite the defeat. "I just enjoy competing. Spread the joy."
For Vo, her big shot at 17 was much-needed medicine, leading her to win the biggest amateur prize in the Golden State.
"I hit a 54-degree wedge. I was a little bit nervous because it was a full wedge and the wind was going to the right. I was a little worried," Vo said. "Then when I saw that it landed on the green. It was was a relief."
Photo Gallery Here
July 26, 2024
It'll be a Bruin versus a Bulldog in the final of this year's California Women's Amateur Championship.
No. 15 seeded Natalie Vo, a senior at UCLA, and No.21 Amelia Garibaldi, a sophomore at Fresno State, will meet in Saturday's 18-hole final at The Peninsula Golf and Country Club after both survived a grueling day that featured both the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Vo, a native of San Jose, advanced following a bittersweet 4 and 2 win over Bruins teammate and No.27 seed Tiffany Le. Vo wasted no time in getting the upper hand, chipping in for a birdie on the opening par-4 1st hole. A par win on the 2nd hole and a birdie win on the 3rd hole--courtesy of another chip-in--and Vo quickly held a 3-up lead through the first three holes. To make things worse for Le, she'd bogey the 7th hole, handing Vo a 4-up lead.
"When I started with those chip-ins at No.1 and No.3 I thought, 'Oh this is going to be interesting,'" Vo said.
Le, the Big West Golfer of the Year for 2022-23, didn't however give in. With back-to-back birdie wins on the 8th and 9th holes, Vo's lead was back to a manageable 2-up.
Two holes later on the 11th, Le again made birdie to chop the deficit to just one hole. But then Vo again got going, making a birdie on No.12 to go back to 2-up. Still holding a 2-up lead, Vo won the 15th and 16th holes with a par and birdie, respectively, to seal the match.
"I didn't think at the beginning of the week that I would get this far," said Vo, who last year made it to the Round of 16. "I'm just trying to stay patient with myself. I knew it was going to be a long week."
Helping Vo along through the week has been her mom, My, who has been on the bag as caddie.
"It's great having her out here. She definitely calms me down," Vo said.
Also finishing her match on the 16th hole was Garibaldi, who knocked out No.8 seed Kaylyn Noh, 3 and 2, in the semis.
In what was a duel, neither Noh, a senior at Cal, nor Garibaldi ever held more than a 1-up lead through the 12 holes. Still deadlocked through 12, Garibaldi made the first big move on the 13th hole when she rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt from the fringe for a birdie win.
A hole later on the uphill par-4 14th, Noh, winner of the 2022 NCGA Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship, pushed her drive to the right. She'd get out of the rough, but her second shot landed left of the green leading to another challenging shot. She'd go on to make a bogey while Garibaldi made par to make the lead 2-up.
On the par-3 15th, it looked like Noh would cut into the lead. But Garibaldi came up with a brilliant up-and-down for par from off the right side of the green.
"That was an awful tee shot I hit there," Garibaldi. "Being able to save par, I was super pumped."
A hole later on the 16th, Noh had a chance to keep the match going but ended up three-putting from nine feet.
"I'm shocked, I didn't think I would make it to the final," said Garibaldi, who made it to the CWAC quarterfinals in 2022 before being eliminated. "My goal coming in was to just make it to match play, so to get this far is just awesome."
For Garibaldi, the week has been a joy ride. She's a huge fan of match play, and like Vo has had her mom on the bag as caddie.
"It's so much fun. We just chit-chat, we don't talk a lot," Garibaldi said. "I usually walk a bit ahead of her. We just basically have fun."
The morning quarterfinals featured three thrillers, with Noh, Garibaldi and Le all winning 1-up thanks to victories on the 18th hole.
Le had the most dramatic win, coming back from a two-hole deficit over the final three holes. Le won 16 and 17 with birdies and closed with yet another birdie on 18 to knock out Emily Song.
Vo had the only comfy win, advancing to the semis with a solid 4 and 2 win over Lily Peng. Peng, just 15-years-old, eliminated Asterisk Talley in the Round of 32.
Saturday's 18-hole final will tee off at 7:30 a.m.
Photo Gallery Here
July 25, 2024
The brackets finally broke at this week's annual California Women's Amateur Championship at Peninsula Golf and Country Club.
Among the survivors in Thursday's Round of 16 were No.1 seed Jasmine Leovao and No.4 Leigh Chien. No. 2 seed Anna Song and No.4 Kate Villegas, meanwhile, weren't so lucky.
Leovao, a junior at Long Beach State who was the 2023-24 Big West Freshman of the Year, moved on to Friday's quarterfinals thanks to a convincing 5 and 4 victory over Adora Liu.
In what was expected to be a close match, Leovao instead cruised. Holding a mere 1-up lead through the first nine holes, Leovao went on a tear, first making birdies on holes Nos. 10 and 11 to up the lead to three. On No. 12, Liu, a junior at Cal bogeyed to make it a four-hole lead. Two holes later, Leovao made another birdie to seal the deal.
Laovao will next take on another Cal player, No.8 Kaylyn Noh. A senior and the winner of the 2022 NCGA Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Noh drained a clutch putt on the 19th hole (the par-5 10th) to squeak by No.9 seed Andrea Gomez.
Like Leovao, Chien, who'll begin playing at nearby Stanford this fall, also got a big win, defeating Ashley Yun, 4 and 3. In the Round of 32, the red-hot Chien opened with a solid 6 and 5 victory.
A four-time junior All-American, Chien next will take on No. 21 Amelia Garibaldi, who moved on with a 3 and 2 win. A sophomore at Fresno State, Garibaldi had three top-10 finishes for the Bulldogs this past season.
In the other side of the brackets, Friday's quarterfinals will see No.15 Natalie Vo face No.26 Lily Peng while No.14 Emily Song will take on No.27 Tiffany Le.
Vo, a San Jose native who's a senior at UCLA, knocked out Song via a tight 1-up win. Throughout the match, neither Vo nor Song ever held more than a 1-up lead. Vo won it with a birdie on the 18th hole. Still just 15 years old, Peng, who won her Round of 16 match, 5 and 3, earlier eliminated Asterisk Talley.
Emily Song had the biggest upset of the day, eliminating defending champion Kate Villegas, 3 and 1. Villegas, who was looking to become just the eighth repeat champion, actually was 2-up through the first nine holes. Song got going with an eagle win on the 10th hole to cut the lead to one, then tied things up with a par win on the 13th hole. After tying the 14th hole, Song went wild, carding consecutive birdies on holes Nos. 15, 16 and 17 for the win.
Le, another UCLA senior, advanced with a 4 and 3 win. Le, the highest seed remaining in the brackets, was in 2022-23 the Big West Golfer of the Year.
Friday's action will consist of the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals in the afternoon. The 18-hole final will take place Saturday morning.
July 24, 2024
All four top seeds survived the opening day of match play at this week's annual California Women's Amateur at Peninsula Golf and Country Club.
But there was a big upset.
No. 1 seed Jasmine Leovao, a junior at Long Beach State, advanced with a 2-up win over No.32 Kylie Chong. Through the first 10 holes, Leovao, the 2023-24 Big West Freshman of the Year, built what looked to be an insurmountable 5-up lead.
By the time the two reached the 18th tee, however, Chong had trimmed the lead all the way back to just 1-up. On the par-5 18th, however, Leovao would seal the victory with an eagle after reaching the green in two.
Anna Song, the No.2 seed and a senior at Palisades High in Los Angeles, had arguably the most dramatic win of the Round of 32. Song would be stuck in a duel with No.31 Nicola Seale with the two arriving at the 18th hole tied.
On her approach shot, Song, who has already committed to play at nearby Stanford, hit a fairway wood into the greenside bunker. Seale looked to have an advantage, but Song--after getting on the green--went on to sink a 24-foot putt for birdie. Seale's birdie, a 4-footer, slipped just right of the cup, giving Song the win.
In another thriller, defending champion and No.3 seed Kate Villegas had to go to the 19th hole to shake off Madelyn Gamble. With a par on the 12th hole, Gamble, a senior at Washington State and the Junior Tour of Northern California Girls' Player of the Year in 2019, took a 2-up lead.
The lead didn't last though, as a hole later Villegas got a win with a par. Gamble held on to the 1-up lead until the 16th hole, when Villegas won with a birdie.
From there, the two went on to tie the 17th and 18th holes. On the 19th hole (par-5 10th), Villegas--who was routinely 75 yards farther off the tee than Gamble--hit her second shot, a 5-iron, dead center to within 9 feet of the flagstick. Gamble's second shot missed the green right, and her third shot was still 15 feet from the pin. Villegas made her birdie putt, while Gamble's try lipped out.
No.4 seed Leigh Chien, who'll begin playing at Stanford this fall, didn't have to sweat so much. The former four-time junior All-American knocked off Gracie Piar, 6 and 5.
The surprise of the day was No.7 seed Asterisk Talley getting eliminated via a 3 and 2 loss to No.26 seed Lily Peng. Peng, a good friend of Talley's who also happens to be 15 years old, took a 3-up lead on the heels of back-to-back birdies on No.13 and No.14 and never looked back.
Talley, who was coming off a runner-up finish at last week's U.S. Junior Girls' Championship, may have finally tired out. The 15-year-old phenom, who won the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball and was low amateur at the U.S. Women's Open, was playing in her sixth event in the last seven weeks.
Past champions of the event include current LPGA Tour member Mina Harigae and NCGA Hall of Famers Lynne Cowan and Parry Sheehan.
Thursday's action will consist of the Round of 16. Friday's play will be the quarterfinals and semifinals. The 18-hole finale will tee off Saturday morning.
Round of 32 Photo Gallery Here
July 23, 2024
Get a spot in the match play brackets.
That was the goal as the second round of stroke play qualifying for this week's California Women's Amateur Championship teed off Tuesday at a sunny Peninsula Golf and Country Club in San Mateo.
By the time sundown arrived, the brackets were set, with exactly 32 players advancing and no playoff necessary. In another unusual twist, four players--Jasmine Leovao, Leigh Chien, Anna Song and defending champion Kate Villegas--finished tied for medalist honors with identical scores of 5-under par 139.
When the Round of 32 of match play begins on Wednesday, Leovao will be the No.1 seed, with Song in the opposite bracket as the No.2 seed. Villegas will be No.3 and Chien will be at No.4.
The big mover on the day was Song. A senior at Palisades High in Los Angeles who has already committed to play at nearby Stanford beginning in the fall of 2025, Song jumped 23 spots up the leaderboard thanks to a day-low 67 that featured six birdies and just one bogey.
Leovao, a junior at Long Beach State who started the day just two shots behind first round leader Bridget O'Keefe, landed at 139 after a second round 73. Last season, Leovao earned Big West Freshman of the Year honors for Long Beach, where she plays with her twin sister, Janae. Janae would also move on to match play, finishing T-5 after an identical 73.
As for Chien, who'll begin playing at Stanford this fall, the former four-time junior All-American posted a 70. Back in April, Chien made her debut in the Augusta National Women's Amateur.
The fourth medalist, Villegas, will find herself in a different position than last year. When Villegas won the title last year at La Cumbre CC, she was the No. 11 seed.
Looking to become just the eighth player to repeat as champion, Villegas, who played at UCLA, could be making her final appearance as an amateur before turning pro. But that all depends on how she finishes. The winner of the championship will receive an automatic exemption into the upcoming U.S. Women's Amateur, set for Aug. 5-11 at Southern Hills in Oklahoma.
O'Keefe, who had opened with a 64, slipped into a tie for fifth after a second round 76. Cal standout and junior-to-be Adora Liu, who finished her sophomore season with the lowest scoring average (72.4) in program history, had at one point held the lead outright before stumbling with back-to-back double-bogeys on holes Nos. 8 and 9. She would come in at 143 after a 75.
Chowchilla resident Asterisk Talley, who's coming off a runner-up finish at last week's U.S. Junior Girls' Championship, also at one point held the lead solo. The fifteen-year-old sophomore-to-be finished at 140 after a second round 72.
The cutline for match play came at 2-over 146.
Wednesday's action will consist of the Round of 32, followed by the Round of 16 on Thursday. Friday's action will see the quarterfinals and semifinals. The 18-hole final will be held Saturday morning.
Past champions of the event include current LPGA Tour member Mina Harigae and NCGA Hall of Famers Lynne Cowan and Parry Sheehan.
In the North/South Challenge, the SCGA took the title, 685-688.
The North/South Challenge, which is contested over the two rounds of stroke play qualifying, features the NCGA vs. SCGA using the top five low scores from each association.
Photo Gallery from Tuesday
July 22, 2024
Bridget O'Keefe returned home to the Bay Area and instantly made a statement at this week's 58th annual California Women's Amateur at Peninsula Golf and Country Club.
O'Keefe, who grew up in nearby Palo Alto but now plays at the University of Pennsylvania, took the early lead in stroke play qualifying on Monday, carding a sizzling 8-under 64 on a postcard day in San Mateo.
A junior-to-be who finished third at last season's Ivy League Championship, O'Keefe was nearly flawless. She'd post seven birdies and an eagle on the par-5 10th to go against just one miscue--a bogey on the par-4 8th.
Among those right on O'Keefe's heels are twin sisters Jasmine and Janae Leovao, who shot 66 and 67, respectively. The two are juniors at Long Beach State. Last season, Jasmine earned Big West Freshman of the Year honors. She'd become only the third individual qualifier for the NCAA Championships from Long Beach State.
Also going low were a pair of Bruins--Natalie Vo and Kate Villegas of UCLA. Vo, a native of San Jose, carded a 6-under 66, while Villegas came in with a 68. The defending champion, Villegas would become the eighth repeat winner should she again hoist the trophy this week.
This could also be Villegas' swan song as an amateur. The Arcadia native plans on turning pro following this week's championship. Those plans would change however should she win. The winner of this week's event will earn an automatic exemption into the upcoming U.S. Women's Amateur, set for Aug. 5-11 at Southern Hills in Oklahoma.
Fifteen-year-old Chowchilla resident Asterisk Talley, who is coming off a runner-up finish at the U.S. Girls' Championship, showed no signs of fatigue. Talley, the low amateur at this year's U.S. Women's Open, opened with a 68 that included eight birdies.
Following Tuesday's second round of stroke play qualifying a cut will be made with the low 32 advancing to match play.
Wednesday's action will consist of the Round of 32, followed by the Round of 16 on Thursday. Friday's action will see the quarterfinals and semifinals. The 18-hole final will be held Saturday morning.
Past champions of the event include current LPGA Tour member Mina Harigae and NCGA Hall of Famers Lynne Cowan and Parry Sheehan.
In the North/South Challenge, the NCGA leads the SCGA, 334-337.
The North/South Challenge, which is contested over stroke play qualifying, features the NCGA vs. SCGA using the top five low scores from each association.