21st NCGA Women's and Senior Women's Amateur Championship

Player Information/Pairings/Leaderboard

Final Round- June 18, 2025

Amateur Division 

Saratoga native Sarah Lim will not have to worry about qualifying for the U.S. Amateur for a second straight year.

Lim who started the day three shots back of 36-hole leader Taylor Baker made a clutch six-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the 21st NCGA Women's Amateur Championship at Poppy Hills. 

Lim finished at even par for the championship which was one shot clear of Madison Murr. 

"This win is really important," Lim said. "It really solidified that I am playing some good golf right now."

With her dad on her bag, Lim made a clutch par putt on the 17th hole to stay tied for the lead as she approached the 18th hole. 

Lim's dad knew what her daughter had to do to pull off the comeback victory.

"My dad actually told me what the scores were when I was walking up the 18th and I did not know if I wanted to know that but I do now, " Lim said. "It was a lot of pressure but I knew I just had to trust my game."

The Princeton University commit hit her third shot to five feet where she drained her birdie putt. 

Lim overcame a one-shot penalty that was issued to her on Monday after her dad accidently kicked her ball on the ninth fairway. 

With the win, Lim will have an exemption into the 125th U.S. Women's Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes in August.  Lim made it into the Round of 32 in the 2024 U.S. Women's Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club. 

Lim will look to win her second USGA title in her career after winning the U.S. Women's Four-Ball Championship last year with partner Asterisk Talley. 

Murr who entered the final round seven shots back shot a sizzling round of 66 to put herself in contention. The Cal State San Marcos redshirt senior had eight birdies on the scorecard including making three birdies in a row from holes 13 thru 15. 

There was a four-way tie for third place between Nicola Kaminski, Olivia Duan, Taylor Baker and Janna Andaya. However, Kaminski got the third place medal via card off after posting a round of 71. 

Senior Division

Shelly Haywood had one thing in her mind coming into this week at Poppy Hills. She wanted to complete the California Double-Double. 

"I really wanted to win here this year," Haywood said. "I wanted to win this one and make it a double."

Just three months removed from successfully defending her SCGA Senior Women's Amateur title, Haywood won the NCGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship on Wednesday afternoon. 

Haywood shot a 2-over round 73 to take home her first NCGA title as she finished at 12 over par which was one shot clear of NCGA Hall of Famer Tina Barker. 

"I hit some really good shots all three days," Haywood said. "I did not know where we stood at all and just kept my head down and blocked out the noise."

The championship came down to the 54th hole in regulation. Both Haywood and Barker were able to hit their third shots on the 18th green.

Haywood was able to put her first putt within two feet. Baker's first putt went about five feet past the hole. 

Baker missed her four-foot par putt which just edged the cup. Haywood was able to two-putt for her par and added another trophy to her collection. 

However,  the Laguna Woods, Calif. native was not sure if she won the championship until after the round.

"I have been a scoreboard watcher before and it has never worked out well for me," Haywood said with a chuckle. "I did not look at my phone at all and focused on making birdies."

Baker had a one shot lead over Haywood after the front nine. The tournament changed on the par-5 10th hole when Haywood made birdie and Baker made double bogey. 

Haywood made a heroic par save on the 15th hole after her iron shot went over the green on the right side which left her an awkward chip shot.

"I thought I hit the perfect 8 iron but I must have just flushed it because I never been long right of the hole in all my days playing here," Haywood said. "I bumped  it into the hill and popped straight it up and ended up five feet from the hole."

Kim Izzi and NCGA Hall of Famer Lynne Cowan both tied for third place but Izzi got the third place via a card off. Izzi shot 2-over 73 while Cowan posted a 76. 

Second Round

Amateur Division

Taylor Baker still leads the way in the 21st NCGA Women's Amateur Championship but there will be plenty of chasers behind her. 

Baker struggled on Tuesday with windy and cool conditions at Poppy Hills. The Cal Poly commit shot a 4-over 75 for her second round. 

The Sacramento native is the only player under par for the championship as she sits at 1-under par. 

Santa Clara native Janna Andaya posted a 1-over 72 for her second round. Andaya who finished her sophomore season at UC Riverside had two birdies on her scorecard as she sits at even par for the championship. 

Another Division I player who is also even par for the championship is Ryan Flynn who finished her junior season at the University of Alabama after transferring from Grand Canyon University. 

Flynn, who has her dad on the bag this week, posted her second straight round of even par 71. The Truckee native was 3-over on the outward nine but had four birdies on the back nine to put herself in contention. 

"I am glad to see some good shots and hit some good putts," Flynn said. "It is a little confidence boosting."

Flynn said having her dad caddying for her this week has given her the confidence to win this week.

"My game is right there and I am excited to play tomorrow and see what happens," Flynn said. 

Olivia Duan sits in fourth place at 1 over par. She posted a 3-over 74 for her second round. 

The only sub-par round of the day belonged to Granite Bay native Ellie Bushnell. Bushnell who finished her sophomore season at Oklahoma State University had five birdies on her round. She shot a 1-under 69 as she currently sits in a tie for fifth place at 2 over par. 

Defending champion Nicola Kaminski still has a chance to win her second straight title. She shot her second straight round of 72 which puts her in a tie for fifth place just three shots back. 

Kaminski is looking to join Lynne Cowan as the only player to successfully defend the Women's Amateur title. 

Senior Division

The race for the Senior Women's Amateur crown will be from grabs on Wednesday at Poppy Hills. 

Tina Barker will have a two-shot lead heading into the final round. The NCGA Hall of Famer and two-time champion posted a second round score of 77 in windy conditions. 

Barker played the par-3 and par-4 holes in even par which included birdies on the par-5 10th hole and par-3 17th hole. Barker will look to add her third NCGA Senior Amateur Title in five years. She also won the inaugural Southern California Super Senior Amateur Championship in March. 

Shelly Haywood continues her ascension up the leaderboard. The Laguna Woods native shot a second straight round of 5-over 76 to sit at 10-over par for the championship. 

Haywood, who is the two-time reigning SCGA Senior Women's Amateur champion, had a forgettable front-nine posting a 4-over 40. But she managed to play the back nine in 1-over par. 

A pair of NCGA Hall of Famers--Lynne Cowan and Sally Krueger--are sitting in a tie for third place at 11-over and trail Barker by three shots. 

Cowan only had three bogeys on her day. She birdied the par-4 14th hole to post a 3-over 74.

The Fairfield native is looking for her fifth Senior Amateur title and her 16th career NCGA title which would extend her record for most wins by a female player. 

Krueger shot a 9-over 80 on Tuesday. She recorded her lone birdie on the par-4 13th hole. 

The cut for the senior division ended at 22 over par. Among those making the cut include Santa Cruz native Melissa Spencer, NCGA's own Eva Monisteri and Pebble Beach native Joy Robinson. 

With a win, Barker will join Cowan and NCGA Hall of Famers Marianne Towersey and Pat Cornett as the only players to win the Senior title at least three times. 

Wednesday's final round begins at 7:30 a.m. with all tee times kicking off on the first hole here at Poppy Hills. 

First Round

Women's Amateur Division 

Taylor Baker stormed out of the gates in the first round of the 21st NCGA Women's Amateur Championship. 

Baker who won the CIF High School Girls Individual State Title last November shot a stellar bogey-free 5-under 66 on Monday.

"I hit a lot of good putts and good iron shots today," Baker said. "I did not try and go at pins that I needed to and let the bridies fall." 

The Cal Poly commit made five birdies on her round at Poppy Hills. Baker almost withdrew from the tournament due to illness but managed to play a sensational round.

"I was just happy to be out here and had a lot of fun with my playing partners," Baker said. 

Baker will have a three shot lead over Olivia Duan. Duan who is the reigning NCGA Junior Champion finished her freshman season at Princeton University. 

The Cupertino native went 3 under on all four par-5 holes at Poppy Hills. She added birdies on holes 3 and 13 to finish her day at 2-under par. 

Defending champion Nicola Kaminski posted a  1-over par 72 as she sits in a tie for sixth place.      

Senior Division

Two NCGA Hall of Famers share the 18-hole lead in the Senior Division. 

Two-time champion Tina Barker and San Francisco native Sally Krueger each posted 2-over 73 in cold conditions at Poppy Hills. 

Barker who is looking for her third Senior Women's Amateur title in five years had a closing birdie on the par-5 18th hole. She had three bogeys on the scorecard with the rest being pars on the scorecard. 

Krueger began her day on the back nine and finished her outward nine with brides on 17 and 18. 

She had some trouble on the front nine to close out her Monday. She bogeyed the first hole but responded with birdies on the 3rd and 7th holes. 

The San Francisco native had a double bogey on the 8th hole and a bogey on the ninth hole. But she sits in prime position for her first NCGA title. 

Sitting two shots back in third place is Karen Garcia who posted a round of 4-over 75. The Cool, CA native had one birdie on the scorecard which occurred on the par-3 11th hole. 

Garcia is current points leader of the Senior Women's Player of the Year race. 

NCGA Hall of Famer and five-time Senior Division champion Lynne Cowan shot an 8-over 79 as she sits in a tie for eighth place. 

Second round action continues at 7:30 a.m. with tee times taking place on holes 1 and 10. The top 15 and ties in each division will move onto the final round on Wednesday at Poppy Hills.