Pairings | Results
August 13, 2026
Tack on yet another NCGA title for Sacramento resident Bob Niger.
Niger, 66, took control early and never looked back, winning the Senior Amateur Championship on Thursday at Spyglass Hill via 5 and 4 victory over Craig Miyamoto.
It marked the first Senior Amateur title for Niger, who was the NCGA's 2024-25 Super Senior Player of the Year. Coming into the event, Niger had been questioning his swing.
"I came in not hitting it really well, and I had some things going on off the course," Niger said. "The first two days I really struggled, but things got better as I moved along. That's what you want for match play."
In his opening Round of 32 match, the No.1 seeded Niger trailed 1-up through 12 holes before a late rally. In the Round of 16, meanwhile, he was pushed to 21 holes before winning.
Against Miyamoto, the No.6 seed, Niger leaped to a quick 4-up lead through five when Miyamoto strung together four consecutive bogeys. Niger bogeyed the 9th to drop his lead to 3-up, but he'd bounce back by playing his next three holes at 1-under to shut the door.
It was the first time Niger had played competitively at Spyglass in 20 years.
"I love match play," Niger said. "In stroke play, if you make a bad mistake, you can quickly be in trouble. In match play, you can just move on to the next hole."
Niger won six NCGA events while under the age of 55 (2005 Stroke Play, 1982, 1998 Sacramento Valley, 2004, 2006 Valley Amateur, 2006 Mid-Amateur). He also was NCGA Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2006.
His senior career is also starting to blossom. Along with winning Super Senior Player of the Year in 2025, Niger has also won the 2025 Valley Am Senior and 2025 NCGA Super Senior.
August 12, 2026
Perhaps fate will be on 58-year-old Craig Miyamoto's side come Thursday's 18-hole final of this week's NCGA Senior Amateur.
In the Round of 16, Miyamoto took his first big step through the brackets with a win on the 19th hole. On Wednesday, Miyamoto, who hails from Sacramento, did it again.
This time, he'd defeat No.15 Tony Padilla, the event's winner in 2018, on the 19th hole, setting up a showdown with No.1 seed Bob Niger for all the marbles on Thursday.
Niger, the NCGA Super Senior Player of the Year in 2024-25, has, however, also been tested. In his opening Round of 32 match, Niger trailed 1-up through 12 holes before a late rally. In the Round of 16, meanwhile, he was pushed to 21 holes before winning.
In his semifinal match, Niger faced another big test in squaring off against record four-time champ Randy Haag. When it was over, Niger walked away with a 4 and 3 win, the key being a stretch from holes Nos. 8 through 15 where Niger went 2-under with two birdies and six pars.
Coming into the event, Niger had nine wins in his 21 starts.
August 11, 2026
If No.1 seed Bob Niger goes on to win the NCGA Senior Amateur, he can point back to being tested.
Niger, the NCGA Super Senior Player of the Year in 2024-25, was nearly eliminated from the brackets not once, but twice on Tuesday.
In his opener vs. No. 32 Chris Candelario, Niger trailed 1-up through 12 holes before a late rally. Niger would birdie holes Nos. 13 and 14 to grab a 1-up lead and held on from there for a 2 and 1 victory. Later in the afternoon, Niger trailed No.16 Chris Solter by one through 17 holes.
On the 18th hole, Niger tied things up when Solter made bogey. Two holes and a Niger win later, and Niger walked away with a 20th hole win.
In his opener vs. No. 32 Chris Candelario, Niger trailed 1-up through 12 holes before a late rally. Niger would birdie holes Nos. 13 and 14 to grab a 1-up lead and held on from there for a 2 and 1 victory. Later in the afternoon, Niger trailed No.16 Chris Solter by one through 17 holes.
On the 18th hole, Niger tied things up when Solter made bogey. Two holes and a Niger win later, and Niger walked away with a 20th hole win.
NCGA Hall of Famer Randy Haag, who has won the event a record four times, was in a groove. The No.5 seeded Haag won his matches, 4 and 3 and 6 and 4, respectively.
Also advancing through both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 was 2018 champ Tony Padilla.
Defending champion Steve Sear was knocked out in the Round of 16, falling 4 and 3 to Peter Wood.
Wednesday's action will see the quarterfinals and semifinals. The 18-hole final is on Thursday at Spyglass Hill.
August 10, 2026
In 2025, Bob Niger won NCGA Super Senior Player of the Year honors.
This year, Niger, age 66, opted to compete in the Senior division. He's still been a machine, winning nine events in his 21 starts.
He'll be the No.1 seed when match play begins on Tuesday, with his first opponent being No.32 Chris Candelario, who earned a spot in the brackets via Monday qualifying.
The No.2 seed will be Tony Ralph, who has four victories this season. Defending champion Steve Sear will be the No.3 seed.
NCGA Hall of Famer Randy Haag, who has won the event a record four times, will be the No.5 seed.
Tuesday's action will feature both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 of match play. Wednesday's action will see the quarterfinals and semifinals. The 18-hole final is on Thursday at Spyglass Hill.